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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27714335">The Secret Mirror</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nessa_Wwade/pseuds/Nessa_Wwade'>Nessa_Wwade</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In This Time [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Game of Thrones (TV), Shutter Island (2010), The Blacklist (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Empath, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Telepathy, jumping perspectives, nature vs. nurture</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:42:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>50,740</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27714335</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nessa_Wwade/pseuds/Nessa_Wwade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Separated at birth, identical twins begin to experience new abilities and then suffer the consequences of ignoring their shared destiny.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In This Time [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>NaNoWriMo 2015</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Secret Mirror</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This series jumps around aLOT, but just bear with me and enjoy the ride. I promise you, it will be worth it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By: MelidaV</p><p>	I’m not a virgin. Nope, not since I was sixteen, and yet I consider myself to be somewhat of a prude. I understand the need for porn, but not the global obsession; I enjoy rough sex, but that doesn’t mean I’m a “submissive.” You know, like in that movie? ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’? She was expected to give up her independence, and freedom of thought or action, to please the GUY! I mean, what the heck is that about? Right? Never gonna happen, fellas!<br/>
I’m the only girl in a sea (well, out of three; seems like a sea…) of boys, and I also happen to be the middle child, fun, right? The three of us were all adopted from separate locations and agencies around the world, myself from Panama. I know nothing of my biological place of origin or parental units, but the Partler’s more than made up for this void. I was raised in Glamour Heights, Florida and thus led a very pampered, but sheltered life of luxury and usually, excess. I had my first car at fourteen, but wasn’t permitted to drive myself until right before I turned 16. Yep, that’s right, I have a personal chauffer! Each of us do, actually, and although it might sound really cool, let me set you straight: it gets old real fast. I mean, yea it’s nice to be able to get up and go, without having to hand out itineraries or schedules every day. Alonzo (my driver) knew where I needed to be, when I needed to be there, and how long I would be there, usually before I do! Since graduation though, I’ve done most of my moving around solo, sans Alonzo. A lady needs her privacy, right?<br/>
Tomorrow, I was scheduled to meet with Mr. Partler’s (we’ll get into the labels I’ve kept for the adoptive parental units, later) law firm to discuss my duties as the newest interning associate for Partler, Jackson &amp; Associates. Excited doesn’t do my trepidation any justice! I am going to be a kick-patootey attorney, y’all! Don’t tell the Partler’s I used that “horrendous southern slang,” I would never hear the end of it. But per requiem, my nerves were all over the place! I had yet to pass my bar exam, but placement after law school had never been a subject of worry or contention; I guess you could say I was to be grandfathered into the expected role of Mr. Partler’s associate. His law firm had thrived through many economical upsets, survived both crashes and even escaped a permanent scathing from the Great Depression. No, no, Mr. C isn’t that old! Ha, ha… but the institution of Partler, Jackson &amp; Associates had been established for generations long before my twinkling, if you get what I’m saying.<br/>
“Carrie, I have no idea what to wear tomorrow!” My best friend was not the most likely candidate for this present conundrum, but… She’s my best friend, so like, who else would I call?<br/>
“Royal blue, Cami. It suits you best. You can’t very well wear a solid purple pantsuit. I know that’s what you were thinking, girl! Ha, ha! I don’t have to remind you off the eggplant day…?” Cami-Car was a long-living friendship that began in the seventh grade at Shining Day Preparatory School, and as close as we are, only she would have the gall to mention that horribly embarrassing day; where I wore a BEAUTIFUL, gorgeous purple flower print silk top with (in my opinion) perfectly-matched SOLID purple skinny jeans. Yea, okay, it wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had, but it was the seventh grade! Don’t we get, like, a grace period of clueless asinine stupidity? Well, my seventh grade definitely fulfilled that quota. While, I’ve never been THE most popular girl in school, I was high enough in the social hierarchy that this particular faux pas was glibly ignored in general. Well, at least whenever I was around. I heard some things, the rumor mill had a heyday with that seriously misguided ensemble! But, we learn.<br/>
“Why do you have to leave me anyway, woman? Or take me with you? I’ll hide in your suitcase! Sure, only my upper torso would fit (I have what is termed “legs for days”), but the intent should be apparent, Car! You complete me; you’re my better half! Dagnabit, woman! I need you there tomorrow with me! It’s not Mr. C I’m worried about, you know. It’s a certain formidable figure of one Mr. Jackson? Yeah, you know? YOUR DAD? I still say he’s my smallest? Least likely? Fan, not one at all, actually.” Carrie laughed musically in my ear at my dramatic portrayal of her father, Mr. Jack Jackson. No, that’s really his name; I wasn’t consulted on the alliteration. You would think as long as Carrie Jackson and I had been the best friends that we still are to this day, her dad might have warmed up to me, even slightly? Well, you’d be very wrong.<br/>
“Because his better half feels my debutante upbringing will not be complete until I have toured abroad. And I’ll only be gone for six weeks! How much trouble could you sniff out in that time period? Nope, don’t answer that, I already know. But, take solace in the fact that I will miss you equally as much, and I wish I could be just a fly on the wall tomorrow! Ha, I think Dad really just enjoys giving you a hard time! He’s never mentioned a negative thing about you, babe.”<br/>
“Well, you’re still coming over tonight for our last movie night together, yes? Bring PJs and pillow. No just kidding, you know how offended Lynn would get if she saw anyone bringing their own bedding into her home.” Lynn is the maternal parental half of the Partler adoptees, and as much as I love that female, she is very particular about pretty much everything. And she’s the last one you want to offend! Now I have to find Chef; with a mere eight hours until the aforementioned girl’s night was to commence, he would be highly perturbed if not given proper advance notice of the preferred buffet menu I had in mind…<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
Scaling the deteriorating chain link fence lining the YMCA’s front lawn, Jezz wasted no time looking back over her shoulder; her pursuers had stopped chasing her over an hour ago. In high school, ditching wasn’t any big thing, almost expected, really. But JobCorp was a different story altogether. The “sniffs,” as the student body referred to the on-campus police, need not search for her at all! They, as well as she did, knew that probation would handle this latest infraction, if she were caught.<br/>
“Yea, IF I’m caught. I didn’t fail out of Lauder High due to my run times! That’s probably the only thing I miss about that motherfucking place! Track, yo, I owned that team! The fastest, most flexible, hell, ambitious! female in the bunch.” She was untouchable in so many ways. But the track is the only place where she had ever wanted to shine. She was the epitome of the emo-Tomboy. She wore baggy parachute pants, usually weighted down with an assortment of metallic protection like stainless steel brass knuckles and the custom-made switch blade she had lifted from Andrew on the night she split. A sports bra kind of girl, her serviceable ponytail was held in place by a standard rubberband, and on her feet, she knew how truly blessed (chuckle) she was to have “found” the purple Saucony sneakers; they had lasted a lot longer than any other pair she’d ever owned.<br/>
As she slowed her stride to a brisk walk, she glanced around at the neighborhood she had just inadvertently entered. Glamour Heights had always royally pissed her off. You could literally smell all the money that accumulated inside the manors and chateaus of the royal hobnobs of Lauderdale County. It always surprised her that the crime rate in this part of town wasn’t higher than it was. Expensive, luxury cars lined both sides of each street within the secure community, with painstakingly manicured lawns as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t so much the money that flowed like rivers in high tide, that curdled her craw (though that alone puts a wrinkle in any lower, working-class nose), but the superior implication that emanated from the fluff that resided within these electronically-secured gates.<br/>
“Just once, I’d like to take one of those high-society debutantes to MY side of town, and drop them off curbside for the day. They wouldn’t last fifteen minutes without their personal drivers, and affluent “get-out-of-jail-free” card-carrying attorneys!” One such deb had just walked outside, clad only in PJs and… are those REALLY bunny slippers? As she drew nearer, the girl furtively glanced over at her, and quickly turned away, whispering into her cell phone, “Emo-cow alert, Carr! It’s a good thing it’s not windy today, otherwise she’d have blown away by now!” Jezz slowed, as the tittering girl walked languidly back into her brazenly wide-open front door. She hadn’t got  a great look at the bitch, but she was positive she would remember that address. “I’ll give you an alert, hot-tot. Be careful who you fuck with.” She had just the guy in mind for that job. And she was almost certain to come up a few hundred richer for the bargain.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Jace absentmindedly bounced his head, as he watched his sister scuttling back and forth across the kitchen floor. She always seemed to be going somewhere! He knew tonight though, that she was headed down the street to Camineesa Partler’s house, and wished for the hundredth time that he could grow a pair and just ask his sister about the best friend who had practically lived next door all his life. Carrie and Cami (he’d always hoped he was the only one who called her that, but he may need to be more inventive to attain that distinction.) had met in the seventh grade girl’s lavatory at school. Cami had been crying over grape juice or some other such nonsense, and Carrie being the maternal stranger she usually was, sat down in the next stall, and listened to her new best friend bemoan the shade of purple.<br/>
He remembered snorting and then asking her to repeat that last bit, and how Carrie had gently shook her head at him, silently reproaching his teasing insinuation. As far as sisters go, Jace knew full well that he had lucked out, as Carr didn’t argue or whine, but instead listened and joined almost all the time. She learned interesting facts about each of his hobbies, and would come to the guest house and ask if she could join him “next time.” He started to rise from his breakfast stool when he heard the garage door security alarm begin to trill. The last thing he needed this early on a Sunday morning, was a lecture of his late return the night before. For eight months, he had remained an independent dependent of the Jackson clan, by moving into the guest house, under the guise of studying for finals. Academia was of the utmost importance in the Jackson home, and no one escaped a scathing reprove of average, or Heaven forbid, merely passing marks. Two years behind his sister, he had grown accustomed, and oftentimes grateful, of the wake his sister’s academic prowess had afforded him. Each teacher, upon reading his last name, would look up happily surprised to find their star pupil’s baby brother also gracing their classroom. While these expectations began as a bit of a mountain to surpass, he quickly realized that rather than resent his familial predecessor, he simply need ask her for qualifying assistance for anything he struggled with! Only one thing remained a secret struggle from his loving sister, and that was the war he fought daily to resolve concerning his growing affection for his big sister’s closest friend. Since childhood, he had remained in constant and adoring awe of the beauty and enigmatic shimmer that was Camineesa Partler.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
It’s really very simple, once you look at the whole big, stupid, how-the-heck-did-you-not-know, picture; too much of a good thing, as the saying goes. And we don’t get to choose when the other shoe drops, we just have to be willing to wear the pair. It was Monday morning, and as I rode the elevator to the fifty-first floor, something nagged at the back of my mind but eluded my grasp of comprehension. The polished glass mirrored doors parted and I glimpsed for the first time the environment into which I was embarking. As an intern, well, I was not getting paid! For most law students, this really wouldn’t work out so hot, and which is precisely why the position of interns at this law firm was considered so prestigious and thus elusive to many fellow classmates who seem to have wanted my present good fortune almost more than I did! I think now is as good a time as any to properly introduce Mr. and Mrs. Partler, my adoptive parentals. He is an overachieving, ambitious opportunists, who while monumentally money-savvy had no problem swindling or as he put it, relieving those unfortunate enough to bring their personal woes and professional hardships through the doors of Partler, Jackson &amp; Associates. Because he is such a remarkable attorney, though, he is highly regarded and continuously sought after from those in search of “the best defense money can buy,” and hence the existing affluence of the firm in its third or fourth generation.<br/>
“Welcome to PJ&amp;A! How are you this morning? And how is it that I may assist you? Do you have an appointment? Which attorney would that be with? Oh yes, he is expecting you; if you’ll please have a seat, I’ll let him know you’ve arrived. May I offer you any refreshment of sustenance? Please make yourself comfortable, and he will be with you shortly.” As the receptionist turned back towards her desk, she slipped me a curious appraising look, noting that I was dressed more formally than those who came in to the office on business or consultation. “And you are? Oh, I apologize, please forgive me, I didn’t realize who you were. Right this way, Miss. Partler. He has requested you to conference with him and the partners this morning from the Imperious Room.”<br/>
Did I expect to meet all of my employers at one time? Uh no, and no pressure, right? As if Carrie’s father wasn’t intimidating enough, the older partners (27 in all) were only called in to the office outside of business, for associate review, promotions, or other major firm decisions that required a majority vote. So, if they were all expecting me, was that good or bad? Bad that they all would vote whether or not I should be placed as the newest interning associate, with my own office and legal assistant? Or good, that… Hey, so I don’t have any clue as to what good could come of an en masse conference with all 29 of my superiors in law. Taking a shaky but gut-deep breath, I entered the indicated conference room.<br/>
It’s not at all my fault that Mr. C is, well Mr. C. He has always refused to refer to me by anything other than “his ward,” so that’s all I am, in both of our opinions. As a father, he’s not so bad; he attended all of my fine arts events in dance or music, and supported all of my athletic and academic achievements and aspirations throughout my school years, but I have never heard any form of love or endearment issue from his lips in regards to me. I have come to realize that, at best, I am a trophy among many, that he can bring down to show off to his peers whenever the mood suits or strikes him, because as any foster child will tell you, I have never stopped trying to make him proud. He’s proud of what I am, but does he love who I am? Does he love me at all? You wouldn’t know it from his actions and inattentiveness, but I am still included in his future plans for his estate and professional stocks. I’m 23 years old in ten days, and I am still here. I didn’t get taken back to the pound, pure-bred mutt that I am.<br/>
“Please come in and have a seat Camineesa.” Mr. C had a strange look on his face this morning, and it of course put me on edge; I needed nothing more to worry me about today and the impact  of this meeting’s decision would have on my future. “I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the entire panel of partners present today, but rest assured they all know who you are, my dear.” My dear? What was Mr. C on? He had never referred to me with those two words; even more creepy, and I hadn’t even spoken! “It’s a true honor, sir, to be here this morning, and I truly appreciate you and the partners of the firm taking time out to meet with me, to discuss my potential future with Partler, Jackson &amp; Associates. Mr. P, er… Partler, I have brought my transcripts and working resume as you requested. I’m afraid I don’t have copies for everyone, though. I give my deepest apologies for this oversight.” I won’t bore you any further with the logistics of the meeting, except to say that the vote was favorable, I am now “gainfully employed,” and Mr. C and his pals look forward to observing my apparent potential and growth within their firm. Whew…<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
“I feel I must greatly emphasize, Lynn dear, that that occurrence just simply cannot take place. At no time, must she be allowed to wonder in that regard; the decision was made that day, and we will adhere to the outcome and aftermath of said choice however it may unfold.”<br/>
“But I just don’t understand why she’s never even asked! It’s like she’s not at all concerned with her life before she became a Partler, dear. That doesn’t seem the least bit odd to you? I understand why we must keep the secrets we keep from her, but she has no idea one way or another. And then there is the question of the other one. What happened there? Furthermore, what happens if and when their paths cross? That’s a fire I would rather avoid having to manage, let alone attempt to extinguish, Vance. I don’t think she would survive that truth.”<br/>
I walked in at the tail end of what seemed to me to be a rather private conversation, and so quickly grabbed all I needed from the pantry and refrigerator and just as quietly, exited the room as I had entered. Even though, I could feel two pairs of eyes follow my every move until I escaped their discerning view. “That’s weird,” I thought to myself, “Lynn and Vance never talk to each other like that. Well, not like, in private! Whatever, I just hope they don’t lose all the marbles in the bunch and go jump into the divorce party pool.” I had managed to escape all the clichéd reasons for rebellion that my peers had spouted while surviving a parental split, and would very much like to remain in everyone’s good graces, as it had always afforded me much leniency and trust from both Partlers. They were a good pair, a team if ever there was one in the battle of matrimony. Since I had no negative experience to compare theirs to, it goes without saying that I was highly unprepared for the secrets and lies that were preparing to pop open like so many iridescent bubbles in my land of fantasy, my so-called life.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Living on the streets had never really been an issue for her, she was accustomed to fending for herself, as she had been forced to do since the age of nine. Sure, she had foster “parents,” but each of them had only kept her long enough to catch up on overdue bills paid off entirely with the monthly allowance afforded them for each ward they took in for the state. Jezz hated that she hadn’t ever met her real parents, she had some questions for them, for sure. But mostly, just to see how she came to be, where she came from, who she favored more in looks and personality. She’d always fantasized about a big brood of biological siblings, each with a different foster story to impart. Of course, concluding these unanswered queries would require at least a name! And she had none. She was born Jezzimeen Camille, on a hot day in hell, or at least that’s what Andrew had always told her whenever she thought to ask him more about her beginnings.<br/>
Andrew Christie would never win any awards for Greatest Father of the…anything. That’s just an interesting fact; he, too had kept her around long enough to come-up in the world enough so that he wasn’t forced to deal anymore, and could finally afford a decent apartment near his on again, off again job at the factory. The only thing that had set him apart from the rest, was that he was, or at least used to be, a foster kid himself. He knew the mentality of not getting too close to anyone, lest they deem you no longer of any value, and discard you like a pizza box. Andrew had filed for independence when he was 15, and had lived as one ever since. Jezz admired him for that, for not only pulling himself out of the system, but staying up once he was out on his own. If anyone ever cared enough to ask, she really supposed he was closer to a brother than a foster parent, and so she had stuck around for longer than she had with any other prior “arrangement.” He had always made sure she either had food enough to eat (at least once a day), or change to feed a vending machine. She didn’t complain, it was more than anyone else had ever done for her. Once she was old enough to hold down a part-time job, she was expected to keep one. He gave less than a shit about her education, and would wad up any and all notes sent home about tardiness or truancy. He knew she had the street smarts of a tomcat, and when push came to shove, she could make it on her own just like he had had to do. It wasn’t that he was a neglectful parent, just that they had a sort of understanding that what one couldn’t do for themselves, would be compensated by the other in mutually and equal measure.<br/>
More than anything, she was thankful for the little known fact of Andrew’s sexual orientation; he was a closet gay, and so had never, not once, tried to diddle with her late at night like so many others before him had. Surprisingly, she had managed to hold on to her hardly prized (or coveted for that matter) virginity. She laughed when she stole time from her daily survival to read a murder mystery or historical fiction novel that described spinsters and their diligence to independence. “As different as women are today from those in the 18th century, this is one similarity that will probably remain with the “fairer sex” forever.” Twenty-first century virgins were not only prudes, but cock teases too, if they were honest about it. And yet she had much more pressing things to protect than her chastity. It was doubtful she would ever take the time to want a significant other. The means with which she kept herself clothed and more regularly fed didn’t leave much time for romance or vanity. “Which reminds me,” she thought to herself. “There’s that little Debby to be put back in her  place. Let me call Davi.” She needed a new pair of kicks anyway. “Hey, maybe the Debby’s my size!”<br/>
“Excuse me, Miss…?”<br/>
No one had ever called her that before, but if she played it cool, she could still pull this off. After frugally acquiring a passable ensemble, she had set about to altering her otherwise unexceptional reflection. She had settled on a violet-burgundy hue, sprinkled with blond and red chunky highlights. When she thought long enough on it, she didn’t clean up too bad! And as stupid as she felt dressed this way, she knew the only way to pull the Debby-lift job was to blend into her surroundings in order to facilitate drama-free reconnaissance of the mark in question.<br/>
“Yeah? What, is there a problem, man? I paid for all of this, so don’t start with me, alright? It was probably the only time that a statement like that was actually completely true; she might filch a knife or two from Andrew, but the man had done more for her than any and all of the other foster fuck-ups she’d been placed with all her life. So, she had begrudgingly parted with her quickly dwindling paycheck to cover the cost of make-up, hair make-over, clothes and other necessary accessories to complete the new look she had thought to adopt, in order to infiltrate the “secure, gated community” of Glamour Heights. Oh what luck! There’s that bitch now! Where’s she off too all dressed up like a fuckin’ attorney? As she thanked the guy at the register for her receipt (and change; hey man, suspicious minds, okay?), she tracked her quarry as she crossed the mall lobby, headed towards the second floor parking garage. Excellent! She didn’t have a car of her own, but once a track star, always a track star. And this star hardly ever broke a sweat.<br/>
Thirty minutes later and only slightly winded, she brought her trot back to a spirited walk, and directed her attention to the rearview lights of the 2016 BMW X6, its designer plate reading 19MVP84. “C’mon, really lady? Who told you were so damn valuable? You shouldn’t believe everything you’re told, just saying.” As the three car garage door slowly descended, she caught her second glimpse of her prey, and startled didn’t even begin to cover it! “I may not spend hours a day in front of a mirror, but that face looks mighty familiar!” She couldn’t be sure due to the distance she had kept to stay out of view, but that chick had…give me a hand here, Melissa Etheridge: very similar features.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Besides her own parental affinity, being the best friend of the daughter of a partner excused her absence today, and this her second day on the job. She had cleared the leave date weeks ago, as soon as she had been given concrete flight times for her bestie, Carrie who was headed to Europe on a summer long tour of elegance and couture. She had told herself she wouldn’t cry, but since they were in the seventh grade, the two girls had not been apart from each other (however involuntarily the separation would be) for more than a day or two at most, so this proved to be a test not only to their willpower to sustain from long-winded, daily telephone conversations, but also the tenement of their friendship. Cami believed that they were too old to allow a new acquaintance or moreover, a BOY, to come between or rend apart what had been cultivated for almost a decade. She counted herself plenty lucky to have such a friendship that had survived the test of time, and would undoubtedly withstand this separation just as easily. “Just let me know you’ve landed safely, and then when you’re scheduled to board the return flight home, okay?” Joking of course, she had kept it together almost until Carrie had left the ramp onto the plane, but then she turned back, face blotchy and wet. “I’ll miss you more…” she had whispered to the retreating back of her one lifelong friend, as she boarded her flight.<br/>
Later, as she double-locked her X6 in the third stall of the Partler estate’s garage, she begin listing to herself all the things that she would be bitterly forced to do alone this summer. For perhaps the millionth time, she thanked whatever gods might be listening at the time for placing her with the Partler’s who had in turn blessed her with easy placement in all the elite social clubs that regularly resulted in large volumes of invitations to all the high-society functions and events. She was considered the most sought-after debutante in Glamour Heights, and it was due to her uniqueness. She was fond of saying, “I’m the only one who looks like me! As much as a second would be appreciated, enjoy me while you can!” Her first stop was to stop by the gym and sign up for the next cycling, Zumba!, and yoga classes at the country club; it just wouldn’t do to go to flab while her best friend worked on her gorgeously foreign tan!<br/>
Meanwhile, across town the Partler’s had sat down to a blue moon occurrence: a mandatory family dinner of marbled chuck roast, beef-flavored wheat rice and gravy, with scratch potatoes, and honey sweetrolls. Lawrence, the family’s resident doctor; Jamison, the aspiring assistant district attorney; and Camineesa, the soon to be law graduate were all in attendance, at least as far as their parents were concerned. However, Camineesa had completely forgotten this mandatory group activity, and was at the time, sweating away her loneliness at the country club’s Olympic-sized gymnasium. But Jezzimeen was present, and secretly thrilled at the dumbstruck luck she had happened upon earlier that day, thoroughly enjoyed this opulent meal of meat, potatoes, and rice internally smiling at the irony of it all. She wasn’t one to spit in the palm of a blessing, so who was she to point out the family’s obvious mistake? Besides, how was it in anyway HER fault that none among them had noticed the slightest bit of difference in the girl who had left that morning, and the girl who sat in the former’s dinner seat? She couldn’t wait to tell Andrew about this bunch of goons; that is if and when she went back, as currently she wasn’t on the best of terms with her keeper.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“Just go over there, dude, and tell her.” It concerned him more that he had to talk himself into approaching a female, which immensely contradicted his charisma and popularity with the gentle sex, rather than the fact that he was actually talking to himself in the first place! “All she can say is no, right? And you’ll be embarrassed forever, and loathe to be around her, or ever look Carrie in the eye when she finds out the line I’ve crossed…” Sighing heavily and shaking his head at his pointless personal diatribe, he sprang up from his computer chair and proceeded downstairs. “Grab the keys and go, before you chicken out, or before she grows old and dies, dumbass.” The short drive did not allow him any time to reflect on, or on the other hand, reason himself back to sanity from the rationality and intelligence of the task at hand. He’d waited more than long enough, and would simply ignore the guilty niggling at the back of his mind about the opportunistic route he had chosen in revealing his affections for Caminessa, while his sister was away for summer vacation. “One mad hatter at a time, Jace; she’s the last thing you should be worried about. Cami is like no other, and this could turn out pleasantly well, or very badly.” Here went nothing.<br/>
Carrying everyone’s dirty dinnerware into the kitchen, following after Linn Partler, Jezz was shouting ecstatically in her head at the hilariously good fortune of eating so well, with such… well, wealthy and pompous people! No, okay, to be fair they weren’t ALL pompous. In fact, those two brothers of her apparent doppelganger were each equally yummy and tasty to look upon. She could definitely get used to hangin’ with them! Just then, the doorbell rang. “Cam, honey, will you see who’s at the door?” Momentarily oblivious, Jezz continued in the direction of the kitchen, when the bell rang again, and she realized who she was supposed to be. Oh damn! Who the hell is he?! “Hey there, you. Come on in, we’re just finishing up dinner.” She hungrily raked her eyes over the stranger’s muscular back and shoulders, inhaling deeply of his intoxicating musk that instantly made her feel lightheaded and shaky. Following him, as he seemed to know the way better than she, they settled into the luxurious great room with its matching baby and grand pianos, ceiling-high shelves of first edition books, and marvel upon marvel: an uncanny replica of The Thinker!<br/>
“How you been, Cami? I haven’t seen you since my graduation. Hey yeah, and thanks for coming to that by the way, that was really cool…of you.” A nervous smile flashed across his sensuous mouth, and she briefly berated herself on the sudden and unaccustomed burn she felt crawling across her own face.<br/>
“Me? Yeah, I mean, I’m good. It was no thing; all in the family, right?” Sweet Lord and Baby Jesus, don’t let this hunk be another sibling! The confused look on Mr. Gorgeous’ face affirmed the negative, so she pressed on by saying, “No, I’m just kidding. How awkward would that be, you know? I’ve read books where two people who start out as friends, and then grow closer through attraction and mutual respect and ambition, find out almost too late, that they’re somehow unavoidably related!” The fuck? Maybe it was the roast, because she had never talked like that before! “I just mean, I’m totally glad you and I aren’t, you know? Related. It would royally suck, man.” Was it her imagination, or was the guy staring at her like she had grown five more heads?<br/>
Cami was acting funny tonight; and why was she talking so differently all of a sudden? Maybe she finally broke down and tried some of the good stuff all the kids had been smoking. If she could try it, he was totally down too! “Actually, now that you mention it, Cam, I came over here to discuss something like that. You and, uh.. me, I mean. You got a minute?”<br/>
This should be interesting, Jezz thought, as she nodded her assent; what could Mr. Gorgeous have to tell the amazing Cami? “Sure babe, what’s on your mind?” Babe? Chill, girl! You’re gonna blow this! Just then, they both turned at the sound of a car alarm being armed. “Hey, just a sec, okay? I’ll totally be right back.” She had to get out of there with a quickness, the Debby was back! Risking a run-in with the bitch in question, Jezz ducked out the front door just as the real Camille Partler waltzed into the great room, smiling widely at her guest. “Hey Jace! What’s going on, buddy?”<br/>
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That was the most bizarre conversation I’ve ever had, let alone with Carrie’s baby brother! What was he going on about, for a very long time, I might add. HE has a crush on ME? Okay, food for thought, but not really sure if I should even take it seriously. He’s in a whole different league of his own, and graduating class! He’s not so young, but yeah, young-er; and how weird would it be? That’s my bestie’s BABY BROTHER, how long would she stop speaking to me, I wonder? Well, I’ll just hold off on talking it over with her for now; for both Jace’s and mine sakes. Plus, I totally need time to process; it might be prudent to have MY feelings in order when the time comes to address the ramifications of hooking up with Jace Jackson.<br/>
As Andrew would say, “Bloody ‘Ell!!” Could that have been any closer to screwed until Sunday? Jezz was simply not ready to show this hand; she still had a mark to seal up, and she may have gotten a tad more comfortable at that dinner table tonight than was smart. But the truth was, she also wasn’t anywhere near ready to give it all up, give it back to HER. “Something tells me she has no clue how good she’s got it, or what all she’s got that I don’t. So who am I hurting by enjoying what she takes for granted?”<br/>
With no cell phone, or really even a place to crash, sleep and change, Jezz did her best to keep up the appearance of luxury and excess each time she infiltrated the Debby’s life. Not only did she have to monitor her schedule during reconnaissance, it was dually important to make sure she was only visible to the bitch’s family, and HIM, Mr. Gorgeous. She couldn’t at any time allow herself to be found out. That would mean giving up this lush life, albeit only a daytime one, walking away from regular interactions with the sinfully handsome Partler brothers, and would definitely whisk away the growing mutual affection she felt when she was with Jace. Now, three weeks in, he had grown accustomed to her new way of conversing, her many pet names she had come up with for him, and most importantly, seemed to have accepted that “she” was not always at her best, to explain the drastic mood and personality changes he had, in the beginning, continuously questioned. She felt herself growing bolder and bolder with each passing day, each time she let him come an inch closer or hold her hand a little bit longer. She tried her best to ignore the warning voice that constantly reminded her of her initial purpose, and how that ulterior motive should remain in the forefront of her mind, if not her agenda. Just one more day, she would promise herself, if not to just silence that insistent and nagging voice!<br/>
Then the day came, the one of reckoning she had only read about in her historical mystery books. Jace had, per his usual routine since he had met Cami’s secret twin, come over after breakfast and asked her to go out with him. Not just, like outside, but out in public! Jezz, only momentarily entertaining the idea, knew she had to draw herself a line here; this couldn’t go on any longer, not if she hoped to complete the mark job, make herself a few extra bucks, and move the hell on with her own life, as miserable as that existence now seemed to be. She’d had the good life now, for too long apparently, but no more. “Naw, boo, I’m sorry. I can’t make it today, but raincheck? You know there’s nothing more that I would want to do, or anyone I’d rather be with, but needs must, you know?”<br/>
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Jace’s heart fell, but only his face reflected the disappointment he felt to his marrow. Raincheck? He’d be surprised if she even remembered he’d asked after today. He’d grown accustomed to her laidback urban dialect that seemed only to come out of hiding when he came over every day. It was each night, when he called her house, when she would be like a totally different person! If she wasn’t into him, he wish she’d just say so, and stop with the back and forth games. At times, he was so certain that they were going places, together anyway. Then that night, she’d seem as if she didn’t remember what had happened that day. That’s the part that hurt the most; it was like a game to her. Okay, yeah, she was his older sister’s BEST friend, and he had to admit, she was seriously taking a huge risk of terminating that decade-long friendship by even entertaining the idea of seeing him, or being with him in a more serious manner. But who could tell what was real and what wasn’t, if she didn’t even know?! He had to confront her, again, and this time, he was leaving with some answers! Brrrriiiing!! brrrriiiing! “C’mon Camineesa, pick up your phone.”<br/>
“Hello? Yea, Jace, it’s me; how are you? Tomorrow? Well it’s a Saturday, so I don’t see as I would have a scheduling problem. Where were you thinking of going, I can meet you there? Ok, sounds great; what time? Uh, no, no, that’s fine. I’m studying to be an attorney, remember? Early dawns, late-as-heck evenings. What’s that? Today? What do you mean? Well, I work now, you know, during the day… That’s not right, or fair, Jace. I really am trying to  make time for you. It’s really just a lot to take in for me, okay? I mean, up until about a month ago, you were just Carrie’s little bro, and now… Come again? More? More what exactly? Um, well Jace, I’m no virgin, as you may know, but it’s just really way too soon to be thinking on those terms. Maybe we could spend the summer getting to know each other better, you know outside of “little brother and sister’s best friend” status? Let’s just see where that takes us, and who knows? Maybe Carr will be super happy about it, and give the all-go ahead! What do you mean don’t tell her? THAT, (laughs) is simply not an option, sweetie. I’ve never lied to your sister, and because that goes both ways, we’re really close and trust each other complicitly. You’re just going to have to accept these terms, or we just stay where we are as of now, and remain good friends. Hey, I’m really sorry, I have some briefs to go over for Monday, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right? I’ll just head over after my run, meet you and you can tell me what you’ve decided, alright? Yea, so cool; okay, Jace honey, I’ll talk to you soon. Bye back.”<br/>
That’s really kind of weird, right? She said she hates to run! Oh well, it’s finally a date, sort of. Time to hit the gym, work out this confusion on the mat, under some iron. As he was backing out, he thought he saw someone standing across the street from Camineesa’s house, but when he turned to check, they had disappeared. Or maybe he was just losing it due to the rollercoaster of emotions Cami had thrust him onto.<br/>
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“So how do you wanna do this one, J? I mean, I saw that place, and we’re gonna need more guys. Like maybe three or four more; you know of anybody? Man, they gotta be trusted not to fuck shit up, though, you know what I’m sayin? A job this huge could set us up for a pretty minute, and I could really use a break from running, right? It could go really well, or shit could run like eggs down the river, babe.”<br/>
“I’m not your babe, DUDE. And I KNOW, yo, I’ve been up in there for like weeks now. Only hitch, though, is that I ain’t really seen the upstairs, man. And that’s probably where all the big shit is at, even though they got them books and pianos and shit down in that great room. What? What the fuck you looking at, stupid? What, cuz I said “great room,” or because I’m trying to sell all those first edition books they have up  in there? Yo, I mean, do you even KNOW how much just ONE of them books will go for? And like, with a quickness, yo. I’m not trying to be doing this for the rest of my life, okay? I wanna do other things before I kick it, right?”<br/>
“Yea, no, I totally feel you on that, but what the fuck is a great room, J? You say some shit, man. Hey, okay whatever you wanna do, I’m down; it’s just hella cool you pulled me in on this one anyway. Anything we get will be dice, cuz we’re talking about the Pretty Talls, right? They don’t do fake up in that bend. So, lemme know what we doin, who you got, and when its going down; I was hella ready yesterday, b.”<br/>
Why the fuck did I pick this stupid dick? I can’t even remember where I met him! Shit, or even why! Whatever, one last lift job, and I never have to see or know any of this motherfucker or his kind. “Yea, Davi, get at me in like two days, I’ll catch you up, and we can roll out then, cool? Let’s say four more; you get two, I bring two, we should be good. I’m out.” As she walked away, she mentally shook her head at the ironic differences between the lives of Jezzimeen Camille and Camineesa whatever-the-fuck-her-middle-name-is Partler; these two peas weren’t even tended by the same level of gardener, man! “Now I just gotta go find two more dumb fucks to pull up the weight of this, the best lift I’ll ever pull.” Jezz started to mentally list all the things she could remember from the first floor, all from memory. She hoped to…God? Who-the-hell-ever molded her face into the mirror image of the rich Debby she was planning to scorch. They sure knew what they were doing up Top! Settling on a quick run, she began her steady pace toward the Subu Pier. There, money didn’t come into question, it was just you and the road. And the road didn’t judge you, didn’t talk shit about what you had on, or where or how you  lived. There, Jezz thought wrily, I’m nothing but the fastest thing on two legs! Let’s get it.<br/>
The Subu Pier was opened in the 1930s, and if they, those horribly smart, but disgustingly sexist forefathers who had established the land and building fund to create and landscape the Pier had had their way, Jezz and all her fellow females currently strolling, jogging, or cycling would not be permitted, let alone permitted to exercise in the workout gear that today seems way more practical than the floor length hoop-less skirts reserved for those girls who had demanded equal physical activities for exertion in the 30s. I would’ve been a kick-ass suffragette, Jess mused to herself, so deep inside her head, she almost ran directly across Jace Jackson’s line of vision. Spotting him out of the corner of her eye, she skidded to a near stop, pivoted backwards searching for a tall, fat tree, and settled on the closest thing she saw: the public bathrooms. The fuck? What is he doing here? Shit, it’s getting where an Emu-cow can’t get a 3mi run in on a Saturday morning! Quickly, returning her heartrate and breathing to normal, she risked a peek around a corner of the building, and softly swore to herself. And what the FUCK is SHE doing here? Stupid, Debby bitch alert! Chuckling quietly to herself, she strained to watch lips; she was too far away to actually hear and/or comprehend what they were saying. She had once been placed with a foster family, one of the better ones truthfully, who specialized in fostering special needs children. She had always puzzled at that particular placement, because she was in no way, special needs! And she was like, 14 when the state of Florida placed her there; she never did figure that one out. Oh well. The benefit she took away from the placement was the ability to sign, better than most hearing teens, and an uncanny knack for reading lips, regardless of speed or reasonable distance. Today, unbeknownst to the two Pretty Talls residents, eyes similar to a satellite viewing them from space, monitored the pace, quirks and inflections of each person’s lips, chin and microexpressions.<br/>
If Jezz could’ve chosen a profession, whatever allowed, or better yet, required people-watching would be it. She knew she had the aptitude to be a kick-ass detective, but figured her current, uh, vocation would more than likely prevent such a career change. But we can always wish, right? The thought did garner some further review for later a later date and time; she’d learned years ago, not to count herself out. Nothing that you wanted bad enough was impossible or otherwise out of the question. The method was the crux, she had the ability down. Meanwhile, a heated conversation had evolved. I’m surprised the Debby has enough brains to even be able to hold a mutual conversation with Mr. Gorgeous! Continuing to look for a closer vantage to hide from, she wondered how long this meeting was intended to last.<br/>
¬¬¬¬__________________________________________<br/>
“It looks like a clean-cut grab and dash, Captain. The neighbor says she saw one girl, three guys. All Caucasian, but the girl… Uh, she says, ‘Definitely Hispanic, but not sure what else.’ We’re still canvassing the neighbors and we’ve requested a roster of security for the area, but so far, that’s the only one who believes they got a good enough look at faces to maybe pick ‘em out of a line-up.”<br/>
“You started photos and prints, Shank? More than likely, these hoods’ll be repeat offenders, so we’ll find them for sure in the system. It’s the girl that gets me; what kind of lift team uses a girl? I mean, wait…she was also the only minority too? They didn’t use no masks, no gloves, but were in no hurry? What is that? It’s like someone knew somebody on the inside, had some assurance that they wouldn’t get caught. And honestly, had it not been for the alarm, we wouldn’t have even known until days from now! Didn’t you say the parents were out of town, on business, right? When are they coming back? Yea? Do they know yet? Shit, and I’m gonna have to tell them. What about the rest of the family? Staff, anything? Well, you keep on all that, let me know when you’re done interviewing neighbors and witnesses. I’m gonna go try and find someone who actually lives here, maybe get some answers that way. Who knows? Maybe the girl and her brothers did it. Weirder things happen every day, Shank.”<br/>
After fifteen years on the force, Jayleen Murphy had finally received her captain’s cap. It had been so long coming that she had felt for sure she would retire a mere lieutenant, despite her lifelong aspirations of political office. City Hall, she thought dismissively, that’s a good place to land, I’d say. Shortly after a near-miss graduation, she had applied for the Este de Lauder Police Academy, which she completed at the head of her class. Being academy rookie of the cycle was nothing short of embarrassing, however. Expected to volunteer first, stay the latest, she had never had so much pressure to be the best and consistently stay at the top. But whenever things had seemed about to implode, she would remind herself of the sacrifices she’d made thus far, and how very long the fall was from her ever-climbing perch.<br/>
High school, for her, was not “the best years of her life;” if they had been, she was really in trouble! But it had a way of finding her, trouble. No matter how hard she had tried to stay focused and positive, something always managed to jump in like a monkey wrench and botch it all to pieces. When she was a sophomore in high school, her adoring parents had decided to split, and she found herself caught up in the ugly statistic of a split home resulting from divorce. Both of her parents had  provided a stable home life, so the choice she had found herself having to make, with which parent she would stay with predominantly. Custody? Seriously, and at 16?! So, as any hormonal rebelling teen would that find themselves in these circumstances, she chose a silent and passive aggressive method of undermining the authority she felt had abandoned her once peaceful, assured existence. Promiscuity had always been a word her mother would use to describe the actions of a “loose woman,” so she automatically knew her choice of misguided direction would, more than anything else she might choose to do,  impact her mother and their relationship that had once been mutually respective and affectionate. To this day, she still remembered the conversation, word for heartbreaking word. “Hey mom, guess what I did today? I had sex. What? We used protection, and you might be happy to know that it wasn’t that great; not sure I ever wanna do it again.” She had scampered off to her upstairs bedroom, desperately refusing to meet her mother’s tearful, disappointed gaze. She had never imagined that the mother who had raised her to appreciate the fine arts, and explore all culture, would in the end irrevocably betray her, like no one else had since.<br/>
“Princess! C’mere, we need to have a talk.” Oh boy, what could he possibly want to talk to me while he’s sober? “Coming, dad! Yeah, what’s up? No wait first: how was your day?  No pink slip yet I assume, and/or hope? I still say you’ve been there way too long for them to ever let an employee like you go; plus, how many computer engineers do they have up there with your level of expertise? What? I’m just asking, be sociable. Trying to make conversation… No? Not doin’ it for ya? Alright, dad, what? What is it?”<br/>
“I’m not stupid, Jay. I know you’re sexually active.” Oh shit, whoa! “So I’ve made you an appointment across the street at Planned Parenthood; the least you can do is start (and stay!) on birth control. For me, sweetheart; the last thing I need is to hear about teen pregnancy from your mother.” That she could do, he was right of course, well at least about him hearing it from her. The woman she had loved and cherished for 16 years, who had promised to love her dad for, like, well duh EVER! The same woman who had shipped her off to her dad’s after hearing that Jayleen had lost her virginity one morning before school, so no, she wouldn’t, couldn’t do that to her dad. He was the only one who seemed to understand that they’re divorce had triggered all this unhappiness and so-called rebellious behavior! And now he was further comprehending that just because she was having sex, didn’t mean she was going to be stupid about it. She had yet to meet one teen mom who had managed to raise their kid ON THEIR OWN, while finishing and eventually graduating from high school. And if HER mom was any indication, Jayleen didn’t wager that she would ever want to be the first.<br/>
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She had begun to hear voices. Not that she would ever actually tell anyone this, but they were ferociously loud, and rude! No one waited their turn. No one listened to ANYone else, or considered one another’s feelings, or retained any and all unsavory opinions to themselves. And she was the only one who could hear them, it seemed! Ok, I’m going to turn 23 in, like THREE days, and now I’m schizo?? It was loudest whenever she found herself in a sea of people, some angry lady trying to talk through her tears to her left, another paranoid weirdo to her right who just knew he was being followed! And WHY was she supposed to care? She so had enough of her own problems to juggle right now! “And the moment I walk into Dr. Muk’s office, she’ll ask me if I’ve started using any recreational drugs, drinking more than usual, yadda yadda, boom boom.” Uh NO, lady! I just woke up one day with these stupid whispers zinging back and forth through my head! That’s all.<br/>
It had started as she was sprinting over to meet Jace Jackson at the Subu Pier this past Saturday morning. She had been making excellent time, on the final stretch of her third mile when she heard, Shit! The fuck? What the hell is he doing here? Ok, hold it there folks. Who is “he,” and who the HECK was that? She pushed this weirdness to the back of her mind, intent  only on maintaining her pace to the finish line: JACE! And as usual he looked so yummy!<br/>
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“Our parents are presently out of the country, an anniversary of a family friend, I believe. I feel it might be best that I be the one to tell them of this most unfortunate turn of events. Here are a list of our numbers, where we can be reached at any hour of the day. I am a resident at Gramercy Pristine Hospital, and happen to be on call this evening, I’m afraid. However, Jamison here has graciously volunteered to represent myself and our parents should there be any further questions at a time in which they, upon their inevitable return, or I cannot be reached.” Closing the door firmly, Lawrence turned to his two younger siblings with a calm but stern look on his face. “What has happened here is truly a tragedy, but as I’ve just told the police, I will attend to informing the Partlers when I see a fit and appropriate time to do so. You, Camineesa, must find the staff and formulate a comprehensive list of valuables and possessions that were taken, and I expect that completed composition by tonight, when I return from my evening rounds.”<br/>
“Who would do this?! Someone who knew the Partlers were out of town this week, for sure, but the police say there were four! And one was a girl! I mean, I didn’t even know girls robbed rich people; aren’t they more, like, mall cleptos? You don’t see any muscle men trying to make off with Victoria’s Secret lingerie or Prada bags!” Why were they both looking at her like she never graduated the fifth grade? She was right; robbery was a guy thing, you just don’t hear of Bonnie and Clyde duo’s or whatever, not anymore! One day, she’s tuning out crazy people in her head, the next thing she knows, her home has been ransacked! Huffing petulantly, she turned to do as Lawrence had bid her; she was perfectly fine with him (as he was the oldest) commandeering this debacle, and a list? Too easy, as Mr. C would say in such a situation. The staff had been instructed to remain at their posts until individually and directly dismissed, so none should be too difficult to find, despite the late hour. When she had returned from her usual Monday grind at the firm, she had found the front and garage doors all wide open and hurried inside, where her worse fears were to be realized. Sofa cushions had been ripped from the furniture and slashed to ribbons. Every drape in the house lay in sodden heaps of what smelled like urine and fecal matter. And to add dismay to the horror, the library shelves were completely bare! There was no ‘Thinker’ standing just inside the great room next to even more shockingly barren space where once a custom-made duet set of baby and grand pianos had formerly stood.<br/>
As she had stood slowly turning in amazement and dismay, she heard another vehicle, and then a third, pull into the driveway beside hers. Soon, footsteps proceeded to clatter into the foyer and down the hall towards her. Fortunately, as she doubted she had the ability, the scene needed no explanation, but still she ran towards Jamison and Lawrence with tears streaming down her face, sobbing incoherently. “Have you been upstairs yet, Camineesa?” asked Jamison. Shaking her head piteously, she allowed him to guide her up the steps to discern the extent of the damage sustained on the second level of the Partler estate.<br/>
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As she turned down away from the gated community, a wicked smile crept slowly across her face. Mission accomplished! And how fuckin nice was it to watch the offending Debby arrive home just after their perfectly timed exit! That she was the first to discover the state in which Jezz and her team had left the classy abode, was icing on the cake. Just as she had claimed only days before, each and every carefully selected mint condition tome that could be found inside, now resided in her previously bought duffel bag, and her cut from the rest of the bounty would close the deal. They had successfully relieved the Partler mansion of every valuable antique, sculpture, and ancient artifact that could be removed with four people. Never one to shirk her weight of the heavy lifting, she kept pace with the muscled men, managing to squeeze out her fair share of sweat, but all for the worthiest of causes: putting that Debby bitch back in line.<br/>
She had cautioned patience when looking for buyers of the loot they had scored, for surely the stuff had been insured, and possibly even registered somewhere. She knew though, that Davi and the other two meatheads wouldn’t put weight into a female’s warnings, and might very well get caught for trying to pawn off their stash too soon. That’s why she was getting the hell out of dodge, tonight. There was no way she was gonna let those losers catch her up with their stupidity and greed! She exactly what she needed, and only what she had come for: the books. All that other stuff was nice, but not nearly as valuable as her first and second editions. Now she just had to decide where she wanted to go, how far away she wanted to relocate; just how far away would she have to go, to forever leave behind this disappointing stage in her life? She had dreams, aspirations, just like she had told Davi. And now with the books, she could easily get the necessary education she’d need to get those dreams rolling. But that’s the problem with having more money than you knew what to do with, more than she’d ever hope to see in her lifetime! She had no clue where her next move would take her, and yea, that shit was a bit scary. Like a cat with eight lives remaining, she sauntered off. Headed nowhere in particular just yet, but determined to flourish when she got there.<br/>
Damn! She wished she could hear what they were saying! She couldn’t believe her damn, rotten luck! She had worked this shit out! She had a plan! So why the FUCK was she sitting in this cop car with her hands shackled behind her? Someone knew more than they should, or someone opened their mouth to the wrong person; either way, she didn’t see a quick or clean way out of this one. The female pig had to be the one in charge here, and whoa was that twitchy! She had too much pride to try the crying game, she doubted that it would work anyway, especially with Superwoman leading this cuff.<br/>
“Do you understand your rights as they have been read to you? Do you understand that you don’t have to say anything, not without a lawyer present if you so choose? If at anytime during questioning you want to invoke this right for representation, the interview must and will be terminated until sufficient person or person can be detained. As you are of the age where an adult or guardian is not required to conduct said interview, we will begin, unless or until you invoke your right to representation, shortly. If at any time during the questioning you should choose to end the interview, you need only speak this request, and questioning will cease. I repeat, Miss. Doe, do you understand what is happening, or what is to happen once questioning begins?”<br/>
“Yea, lady, I got it okay? First things first, though, alright? What the fuck?! Ain’t nobody told me why I’m being arrested, and I’m pretty sure I have THAT right too; I’m not stupid as you might think.”<br/>
“Jezzimeen, may I call you Jezz?<br/>
“Sure, lady, call me fuckin Satan if it tickles you.”<br/>
“Jezz then, you haven’t been arrested YET. You are being detained. So in actuality, you do NOT have that specific right, until said time when you are officially arrested, and charges will then be filed. Do you understand the difference?<br/>
“Let me get this right: you’re keeping me here against my will, cuffed and shit, but I’m NOT under arrest? So how is that y’all can keep me here? And if you’re not gonna tell me why I’m here, why should I say anything to anyone at all? It’ll just be a fuckin long-ass night for everyone, cuz you gonna tell ME something, lady COP! Or, like I said, I got nothin’ to say to you. Capisce?<br/>
“We’re detaining you for your own protection, Jezz. Satisfied? I realize you aren’t, maybe, aware that your life is in danger, but I assure you, I have one priority, and that is to keep you alive at all costs. So if you don’t want to talk to me, that is completely understandable; the only reason you are cuffed is so you don’t put yourself in jeopardy by walking out the front door. Now, if we could return to the questions at hand? I need to get some information from you, to better understand why you are, or rather, why you were leaving town with so many books of such….um, interesting value and quality.”<br/>
Ah, so that’s what this was all about: the damn books! “Look, I was just gonna sell them as I needed the cash, cuz I was tryin to get out of this place, you know? And start over and shit. Life ain’t been too rosy for me, if you know what I mean. Furthermore, as you so eloquently pointed out, I am what the state calls an adult, so I don’t need no damn permission slip or whatever, to go as I please, as long as I’m not hurting anybody, right? And I’m not, or I haven’t, I mean.” The female pig didn’t look like she was buying her spiel, she needed to come up with something fast, or things could get dicey really fast. “Look, why are you looking for me anyway?”<br/>
“Because I know you can hear me right now, even though you and I both know I’m not moving my lips, Jezzimeen.” Jezz just sat there staring at  her, trying to gather the raging and racing thoughts pounding through her head all at once. Did she just speak to me? Like, into my head or something? “Yes, I did. What exactly do you think this means? That I can talk to you through your mind, and that you can hear me? I can hear you, too. And neither of us has to say a word out loud. If you would prefer, we can talk, just you and me, like this, until we can come to some kind of understanding.”<br/>
“Yea, alright, I know I’ve lost my shit now. Look lady, what the fuck is going on? The policewoman flinched at the unwarranted obscenity. “Oh, sorry. It’s just how Ive always talked, you know? What’s your name anyway, lady? You know my name, but I have no clue who you are.”<br/>
“Of course, Jezz. My name is Captain Jayleen Murphy; you can call me Captain Murphy, or Captain, or just Officer Murphy. We’ll go quid pro quo, alright? I know you’re smart enough to understand what that means. So I’ll tell you about myself, and my purpose for keeping you here, according to you against your will. Jezz smirked at this; what else could it be? Who in their right mind would voluntarily stay in a police station if they didn’t have to? “I’ve just been made Captain, I have a little over fifteen years of service as law enforcement to the county of Lauder. I first found out that I could speak to people with similar abilities shortly after I made detective. However, of those officers you’ve seen today, or even prior to today, not one of them knows I have this ability, and I would very much like to keep it that way; do you think you could keep my ssecret OUR little secret, just between the two of us?”<br/>
As she sat listening to the captain, Jezz wondered what was in those nachos she had bought at the bus depot. She had to be on something, because she was really having a conversation with a police officer with only their two minds! Fuck it, she’d go with it. “Okay… How did you know I could, like, hear your thoughts? I mean before today? And how is it friggin even possible, lady? I mean, Murphy, Officer Mur… How?”<br/>
“I don’t know HOW exactly, and I’m not sure how you came into your abilities either, but I’m willing to assist you in your current discovery, if you agree to do something for me. I need help tracking someone down. Someone you know, but don’t realize you know. They are a recent acquaintance, and you did not meet under upstanding circumstances. I know what you’ve been up to, Jezz. I know where the books come from, and how you were able to case the residence from which you lifted them.”<br/>
Oh crap! And now, no matter how hard she tried to deny it to herself, or even out loud, this lady was going to know everything she ever thought of before she could complete the thought! “Not necessarily, Jezz. We also have the ability to tune other people’s thoughts out when we want or need to. Some people can simply hear everyone’s thoughts, whereas you and I are able to select when and who we hear from.” Another thought trickled into her peripheral, she’d been sitting here with this lady stone quiet, for like, two hours! Was there anyone watching them? Did they wonder why they were simply sitting here intently staring into each other’s eyes?<br/>
“Show me how, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know, lady. Straight up. Superpowers are cool, but I need to know I can shut this one off, or I’ll probably go crazy with random people’s thoughts in my head. Let’s start with how you know all that stuff…That I cased the place, and how I was able to…”<br/>
“Gladly, Jezz. But we have to have a concrete and binding agreement that once we go this route, you’ll stick to whatever I have planned for you from this point forward.”<br/>
“Ok, now you’re sounding like my mom or something; what do you mean, ‘whatever you have planned for me?’ Like, you want me to work for you or something? Like, be a snitch? No way, lady; that so ain’t goin down. I’m no snitch, and I don’t think I have any more to say to you, ok? So can I go now?”<br/>
_________________________________________<br/>
“Camineesa, it’s really quite simple; your job hence forth is to obtain information, for any and all partners of this firm. As an intern you would not be getting a paycheck, but I had assumed, perhaps erroneously, that you would WANT a reasonable income. Am I wrong in this assumption?” Heck no! So, I’m going to be a spy, y’all! Totally unexpected, and completely welcome, because as he has just mentioned, I had seriously begun dreading my acceptance of an unpaid internship, regardless of the prestige of Mr. C’s firm.<br/>
“Absolutely, sir. I will not disappoint, in this, my newest duties. Where would you like me to start?” We’ll start you off small, so any mistakes that you are bound to make can be easily rectified without causing clients undue hardship or delay. “And what cases are considered small today, sir? No matter how large or small the task, I’m ready to get started.” As she walked away with a brief list of lesser cases that Mr. C had hastily composed, she did her best to hide her smile, as Mr. C’s face showed first confusion and then bewilderment. Yes, she thought smugly to herself, how did I know you doubted my potential? By now, she herself had grown quite accustomed to the “voices” who seemed to appear at any moment, without warning. Not only did she hear thoughts of all those around her, she had slowly learned how to tune into certain areas of this astounding ability, and was now able to discern those of most need for immediate attention, and those who she’d rather not know any more about.<br/>
Jace had taken to watching the Partler house like a hawk; he still couldn’t believe that four people that presumably no one had ever seen before that day, had gained uninterrupted access to the estate that most called “Alcatraz,” due to its, until recently, impregnable fortress-like security fence and landscaping which had been planned so as to deter fence scalers and other unwelcome types of trespassers. He figured that if maybe the Partler’s employed a full-time guard or some sort of 24-hour security personnel to patrol it’s perimeter, the estate would be less likely to be selected for burglary in the future. But everyone would just say that he was either being paranoid, or just plain childish in his sentiments. But he knew better; something really weird was going on in that family, and he wasn’t so sure it hadn’t been secretly evolving all his life. He had lived a few doors down from the Partler’s since he could think to remember, but had never once actually seen the whole family at one time, in one place. Maybe everybody was right, he was just extremely paranoid and nothing sinister was afoot. But he prided himself on his sixth sense, so to speak, to discern reality from illusion, or just plain adolescent imagination.<br/>
Take Lawrence for instance, true he was a well-known surgeon who many believed would sit as president of Gramercy Pristine Hospital one day. But something else about him, reminded Jace of a fixer. An end all to end all kind of guy, literally. His curiosity had led him to dropping in on the different shift nurses that worked at GPH, slowly gaining their trust and fealty as “that cute kid who candy stripes for us all the time.” He had learned some rather interesting, or disturbing (depending on how you perceived it) information about the good doctor. Dr. Lawrence Partler had NEVER had a patient die of unforeseen complications. That is to say, death due to natural causes were the norm for his patients; Jace felt that wasn’t natural at all! We don’t all just die because it’s our time! But for Lawrence Partler, even cancer led to natural deaths, regardless of how terminal, or not, a patient might be. It was, to Jace’s way of thinking something to seriously keep an eye on.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Her new “keep tabs on me, or else” beeper began to vibrate seemingly every hour on the hour. She knew she needed to respond to Captain Murphy, but she was still fervently trying to wrap her mind around the fact that, frick! She had a superpower! Chuckling softly to herself, she wondered again about the range and depth of this newfound ability. How many others were there out there, that she might one day encounter and how close did she have to be to any of them to “tune in” to their thoughts? Murphy (she really needed to decide on what to call that lady!) had said that not only could she hear other’s thoughts, but she could FEEL their emotions as well. She’d never heard of an empath, or someone who could feel and sometimes even influence another person’s thoughts and feelings. Now that’s power, she thought briefly as she began looking around for a public phone. Glimpsing the public library sign a little way up the street, she set into an easy trot, just to get her blood flowing again; she’d missed her daily runs since she herself had been forced to return from blowing town five days ago. She wouldn’t let herself think too much on that day, because when she did, she was reminded of the fact that she was now little better than a snitch! And man, there wasn’t any place lower than that. To whoever is listening, or otherwise in charge upstairs, you suck. This is not even close to what I had in mind when I said I would love having a job where my sole purpose was to watch other people in their natural element. Watching and tattling, yeah they don’t even sound the same! But in essence, that is exactly what she had been coerced (that was her story should any one from her old life ask her “why.” She had been forced.) into doing. Sure she was what Murphy called “undercover,” but in all actuality, she was in deep with the bad, working for the good. Not really how she saw her life playing out at this age.<br/>
The agreement went as follows: Jezz was on a probationary trial run, to see if she had what it took to become a permanent subversive. While in this role, she was to obtain any and all information she could on her current subject, or family, the illustrious Partlers. According to the oinks (she chuckled at her ever-growing labeling ability for those in law enforcement), the Partlers were just plain no good. No, okay, some of them were squared away and on the straight and narrow road of righteousness. But unfortunately, for them, the majority stunk like day old eggs. Jezz flashed back to the briefing she had received soon after signing her freedom away to the Captain. The mister of the manor, Mr. Partler, was allegedly elbow-deep in some seriously foul dealings. It seems he had made his fortune from illegal adoptions! Now, as a prominent Lauder County attorney, the patriarch of the Partler clan used his black market connections to seal many underhanded dealings with even more unsavory characters, who explicitly sought his specialty of services out from those counselors that were completely above board.<br/>
Then there was the eldest adopted spawn of the Partler legacy, a Mr. , excuse me Doctor Lawrence Partler, who was anything but a healer. Although anything had yet to be uncovered as to the methods he implemented in succinctly terminating his patients without cause, it had come to the attention of the board president at the fancy hospital at which he was employed, that Dr. Partler had an absolute undeniably clean track record in terms of irregular or spontaneous deaths. Apparently, to this board president, it just didn’t sit well that all of the good doctor’s patients had been irreversibly laid low by mere “natural causes.” So, in a nutshell, Jezz thought sardonically, one’s a black market baby seller, and his adoptive son is the next Dr. Kevorkian. Nice, and they say the rich and famous are star-high elitists! Ain’t NOTHIN’ elite about this family.<br/>
Perhaps the creamy frosting on her cake was that she already knew the Partlers, personally. She had actually infiltrated them for the last lift job in her previous life of crime. Turns out, as she had vaguely surmised from the beginning, her and the dumb Debby, were spitting images of one another! She had been raised on the streets, being shuffled from foster family to group home, one after another. All while this heifer lived the good life! The frosting, so to speak though, was that Miss. Debby was absolutely unaware of Jezz’s existence, as was the rest of the Partler family. No one had any clue that a twin even existed, and in Jezz’s mind, this minute detail was a priority secret, that must be kept at all costs, or for as long as possible. Her reflection had become her ticket, and her advantage, to the Debby’s life…and future.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“This can’t be right. I lost the trail somewhere, and would up in Oz, or something.” Camineesa Partler was now a paid employee of Partler, Jackson &amp; Associates! But she was presently looking at something that could potentially change that newly acquired position. As the firm’s only investigator, it was her sole purpose to find dirt. Yup, bad things that bad people were doing, so that the client (whether or not they too were on the bad people list) could use this information in legal disputes. If she didn’t think so much on the purpose of her job, she believed that she could remain astutely ambivalent about the information she gleaned from her ever-evolving list of resources. But today, yet again, she had come across information that simply took away her ability to “turn a blind eye,” and to make matters worse, it wasn’t the client that was in the wrong, but rather had been wronged.<br/>
The client had sought out Mr. C’s firm for the astounding success it had on obtaining clean adoptees and placing them rather efficiently in affluent homes, where the child(ren) could be given a better chance at life, as was the plan and thinking. However, in this particular case, the firm had not only misled the client to believe that the adoption was voluntary on the part of the biological parents, but that said parents were even aware that an adoption was to take place! If she was understanding the data in front of her, PJ&amp;A had basically stolen a child from its biological parents, and was intent on giving said child to an unsuspecting couple who had for many years yearned for a child they themselves could not reproduce. How many of these adoptions have actually been forthright and legal, I wonder? Cami was anything but ambivalent in this instance; she had to tell someone, but the who was most assuredly not to be found within these four walls!<br/>
She ducked her head into her father’s office, pausing only to inform him that she would be leaving shortly, and not to expect her back that day. But as she was turning to leave, she heard the most awful of confirmations, “The less time you spend here with those particular cases, the less likely you are to become aware of the underlying problem the firm is having with retaining these specific types of clients.” Walking shakily away, she tucked her chin into her chest, and did her best to squeeze back the hot tears that ached to spring forth from her completely and devastatingly disappointed eyes.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Jace’s face lit up as he saw Camineesa Partler’s X6 pull into his parent’s driveway. For whatever reason she’s come, she’s just who I need to see! Sure that she would know more about his latest findings and what they could mean for the Partler family’s future, he hurried out the door of the guesthouse, and down the walkway to the servant’s entrance at the side of his parent’s chateau. Bursting in at about the same time the doorbell rang, he skirted the breakfast nook, and slid in his stockinged feet towards the front door. Much to his surprise, however, it opened before he could reach to turn the knob. “It’s just absolutely awful, Jace! I can’t believe its true; but I know it is, because I heard… Oh, I just know it!”<br/>
“Alright, babe, calm down, here let me get you some water, and we can sit down and you can tell me in a little more detail what exactly you’re rambling on about.”<br/>
“I’m not rambling, Jace, this is serious, okay? Like go to jail with no $200 dollars in your pocket for commissary serious!” She was really upset! His first thought was that she had happened upon the same information he had during his most recent shift as a part-time candy striper at Gramercy Pristine. But sensing that she had just arrived from the office of her father’s law firm, he quickly dashed that thought, and settled in for her summarized tale of her day’s events.<br/>
“My dad is a thief! No, really, Jace, Mr. Partler is stealing babies! Like, who does that, right? He does, him and his cronies (Jace felt sure that she was referring to the partners at her father’s law firm), they’re all in on it, I’m almost positive! I got a promotion at work, right? So, like, now I’m their only investigator! And since they think I’m too stupid to take notice or realize the apparent and disgusting facts, they have me investigating this couple, okay?!” As he watched her take several deep breaths, he wondered at the meaning of all these words that were gushing from Cami’s lips. Was Mr. Partler really taking people’s babies? And what was he doing with them? How the hell do you steal a baby?! Correction, how does an  I got a promotion at work, right? So, like, now I’m their only investigator! And since they think I’m too stupid to take notice or realize the apparent and disgusting facts, they have me investigating this couple, okay?!” As he watched her take several deep breaths, he wondered at the meaning of all these words that were gushing from Cami’s lips. Was Mr. Partler really taking people’s babies? And what was he doing with them? How the hell do you steal a baby?! Correction, how does an attorney steal babies?<br/>
“Ok, I’m only partially following you here, sweetie. He’s taking babies, we’ll come back to that. Who are you investigating? And why; or can you not tell me that? Patient/attorney privilege or whatever?”<br/>
“I’m not an attorney yet, Jace. So poo-poo on that…poop! I’m investigating the couple who “gave up their baby,” and are now suing the family/couple their baby was placed with. Only thing is, Jace, they have no idea that their baby had been given up for adoption! Without their consent, mind you, okay? No, they just thought that their baby had been KIDNAPPED! Oh, it’s the worst day of my entire law career, and it hasn’t even begun! What am I going to do, Jace? I mean this is my adoptive father we’re talking about here; I can’t even begin to fathom where to go from here!”<br/>
Neither could he, this was effin huge! Caught up as he was with her blast of news, he had almost forgotten that he had news of his own to impart, that just so happened to include a Partler also, only of the male persuasion.<br/>
“Its no surprise you’re pregnant, Jayleen, with the amount of unprotected sex you’ve been having of late.” She was one to talk! She had lost her virginity earlier in life than Jayleen, but was considered the golden child, so no one suspected. “So what’re you going to do, Jayleen? I haven’t told Mom yet, because you asked me not to, but I still really think she should know. Not because of any maternal right or anything, just because she’s our mom! And she’ll understand, I’m sure of it!”<br/>
“I can’t do it, Jai Lynn; she’d never understand, and I doubt even that she’d ever forgive me! Plus, you don’t know this, but I’d already lost my virginity when I was still living with you at Mom’s, but she’ll most definitely try to place the blame on Dad. She’ll say he let me do anything I wanted, and with the divorce not finalized yet, she could ruin things for him! And I want to stay with Dad! No judging you, Lynn, but you do what’s best for you, and let me do what I feel is best for me, okay? I know what I’m asking of you, it’s unfair, but as my sister, please, let me do this my way, alright?”<br/>
Each time Lynn thought of this conversation, she felt torn with turmoil and guilt. Her sister, four minutes her senior, had discovered she was pregnant after it was much too late to terminate the pregnancy. She still couldn’t understand how that had happened; wouldn’t you know you were pregnant? Weird cravings, no menstrual period, or snug-fitting clothes even? Anyway, she had played her part in Jayleen’s downfall, and knew she would never get back the trust her twin had placed in her younger sister. She hadn’t necessarily told their mother that Jay was pregnant, she thought defensively. Even today, I still feel the need to defend my actions! Their mother had somehow just known that someone was pregnant! Someone meaning, of the twin daughters she had birthed, one of them had gotten themselves knocked up, while the other had been forced to remain silent about it. She would never forget the day when confronted by their mother’s insulting accusations, Jayleen had looked at her twin with a look of pure hatred and betrayal. “How could you, Jai? Why would you do this to me? I’m your twin, damn it! She didn’t need to know! Now you have gotten what you’ve apparently always wanted: I am the black sheep, our mother considers me a whore, all because you couldn’t keep your slutty mouth SHUT! How about that, Mom? Your little golden child here lost her virginity three whole years before me! Bet you didn’t know that, huh? She’s not so friggin perfect now, is she?” As she turned to storm out the door, Jai Lynn knew undoubtedly, that she would never again speak to her twin sister.<br/>
____________________________________________<br/>
For what seemed the millionth time, Capt. Murphy paged her newest undercover operative, sighing as yet another day had passed without any return communication. Jezzimeen, I swear I’m gonna throttle you when next I see you!  “Well, you wouldn’t very well get any more information from me that way, would you?” Watching as her protégé slid into the passenger seat of her cruiser, she shook her head. What was she gonna do with this girl? “You could always release me from this little op you got hangin’ over my head. But, until you do, stop blowing me up, lady. Murphy, excuse me. I can’t very well remain undercover if my butt keeps beeping and vibrating every other twenty minutes!” She had a point, and if she blew this sting because of over eagerness, she could kiss her newly appointed captain’s hat goodbye. Demotions were more common in the Lauder County Sheriffs Department than convictions, and as hard and long as it had taken for her to attain this rank, she would never forgive herself it was taken away so soon after she’d been promoted.<br/>
“Well, what do you have for me today, then? First though, are you having any difficulties staying out of sight of the daughter? The one who looks like you? I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what kind of trouble that could cause for both of us, Jezz. Me for my job, career more accurately; and you for your freedom should the truth of your involvement ever become public knowledge.”<br/>
“I’ve been every bit as careful as I always was when I’d been…checkin’ shit out, you know? Before the lift job. Hey, that reminds me, where are the other three guys that were with me? How come I’m the only one you bothered to pick up? They got way better, or I mean, more valuable stuff than my books. They are still mine, right? You said I was good there, you’d cover for me?”<br/>
“Yes, you’re covered, as long as our arrangement is mutually beneficial. Need I remind you what you’re getting out of this whole deal? Clean record; spotless so should you decide to continue in this line of work, or any form of law enforcement, you won’t have any problems when it comes time to complete background checks, right?” Yea, Murphy had proposed a pretty sweet deal, but it still rankled her when Jezz thought about the telepathic head start the captain had revealed to her. She had known about Jezz’s abilities as a telekinetic empath long before Jezz herself had even known! And how, she still had no clue, but she had immediately learned to monitor her thoughts and feelings whenever she was around Captain Jayleen Murphy. It had proved quite a task, but she knew that it was imperative if she wished to remain sane and/or independent of the only fellow telepathic empath she knew existed.<br/>
Sensing an approaching stranger, Jezz returned back to her shared secret communications with her keeper. “So apparently, the twin chick… yeah ok, she looks like me, but do we have any proof that she is MY twin, Murphy?”<br/>
“Well done sensing that incoming potentially threatening stranger, Jezz. Your empathic strengths are growing , they’re coming along quite nicely to be sure. Yes, I told you the proof is in the files we’ve collected, she was given up for adoption at the same time you were. She has the advantage over you, though, in that she was placed once only, and has been raised by the Partler family all this time. Whereas you…”<br/>
“Yeah, I was there, remember? I lived this shit. I, unfortunately, wasn’t so lucky. The Debby got plush luxury, and I just got a plain life, on the streets more than not, because I seemed to be the only one who cared enough about my well-being to make sure I had a future. What else? I don’t understand how you guys, the cops, got involved in all this nonsense. You said he, the dad, right? He is what y’all are watching for, really. He’s into the whole black market, baby-snatching thing? Like he just takes these babies? From the hospital? And then what? Sells them to the first or best bidder?”<br/>
“Yes, and no… While he is our biggest target, he’s certainly not the only one. Our surveillance and information support that the eldest son is also involved in some pretty shady dealings of his own. Completely independent from the father, he is suspected to be euthanizing the highest majority of his patients, without cause. The stick, though Jezz, is that he’s not getting permission from the victim’s families before he kills off the patient. We’re not sure just yet, what exactly he’s gaining from this, but now we have you inside, and you need to find out. Only you are currently in a position to get to the crux of the issue, so we can go in and shut down both operations, alright? Ok, girl, you have your marching orders as my father used to say to me, get your but in gear… Hey” She lightly touched Jezz’s arm, “be careful too. I need your help in this, but I also need you alive, okay? You get me?”<br/>
Pulling away and turning to climb out of the car, she murmured softly, “I will if you are, Captain. I’m still new to this empathy schtick, so don’t you go gettin’ yourself, like, killed or taken or some shit, yeah?” At this, Jezz stepped out onto the sidewalk, slammed the car door shut, and quickly stalked away, never looking back, but throwing one last request back to her keeper. “And keep on that adoption shit, cuz if you’re right, I’m frying that fucker’s balls for Thanksgiving. No joke.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
The elevator slowly climbed to the  fifty-first floor while Camineesa thought about all that she and Jace had discovered in the last few days. How weird was it, though, that Jace was even, like, checking out her family like that? Is that really what’s bothering you? Or are you more concerned with what he had insinuated about Lawrence? Nope, there was no denying it anymore, she lived among thieves and killers! And to think, this whole time, she had just worried about staying in the good with the partners of Mr. C’s law firm, and staying awake until finals, when she would take her bar exam, and then what? What would she do with herself, especially now that Mr. C is turning out to be scandalously dirty? I mean, who wants to work for a schmuck like him? Plus he thinks I’m a ditzy broad, not worth the extra effort of allowing me in on the “big fish” clients that come and go every day. Well, there was really only one way to remedy this impression, and if she cared so durn much, hanging out here in the elevator wasn’t really helping, now was it?<br/>
She had decided to obtain as much information as she possibly could here at the office, and later when she met up with Jace again, they had agreed to look into the specifics of the biological couple that were pressing suit against the firm. She knew that they deserved the truth, and she felt obligated to amend this injustice. Later, she could begin the search for other babies and parents who had been separated in a similar manner. If it meant going behind Mr. C’s back, or worse, undermining his law firm, then that was the pudding! Any decent human being, when faced with this information, would do what I plan on doing. I just have to be uber careful; who knows what the man will do if he ever finds out about my investigative findings?<br/>
The couple involved in the suit against the firm had conceived ten months prior to the alleged baby-snatching. Someone, a nurse or orderly perhaps, had removed the newborn from its crib at the hospital and had managed to erase all records of its birth or biological parentage. Now, once the couple has discovered what actually happened, rather than accepting that their child had succumbed to unforeseen complications during his circumcision procedure, they have filed suit against the hospital, as well as the unaware adopting couple that the baby has been illegally placed with. Camineesa had located the biological parents of the baby in question, and was currently communicating with them trying to determine the order of events, as well as locate the staff on duty that fateful day. She had to determine who had performed the actual kidnapping, but she felt certain that by the week’s end, she would finally have answers for the grieving couple who lived each day with the pain and loss of their stolen baby boy.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“I am sorry to inform you that just prior to your arrival here tonight, your mother succumbed to natural causes, and she is no longer with us. I assume you’ll want a moment or two alone with her…? Of course, and I will be back with a nurse to complete the organ donor paperwork shortly. Please, stay as long as you need, we will be here for any questions or referrals for counseling and other bereavement services you may require. Again, I offer my deepest sympathies and condolences to you for your loss.”<br/>
“Dr. Partler? I’m not totally sure, but I don’t think our mother was an organ donor. It’s not indicated on her driver’s license, but of course we’ll know for sure when we talk it over with her attorney. We just want to make sure we fulfill all of her wishes, you know? What with her dying here all alone, it’s the least we can, or should do for that matter. Do you have a copy of her medical records that we could have to take with us when we go to meet with her attorney in the morning? She would want everything to be formally done, and the sooner the better, so that we may begin to make the necessary arrangements for her, and her burial.”<br/>
“That’s completely unnecessary, I assure you. I have been your mother’s physician since she was first hospitalized in June, and I’m almost certain all of her affairs were well in hand, in regards to donating life-saving organs, her power-of-attorney, or last will and testament.” As he hurried away, a troubled stream of thoughts assaulted his confidently composed mentality.<br/>
SPRINT!!	Lawrence Partler was at his prime, had graduated magna cum laude and valedictorian of his class. From the beginning of medical school, Lawrence had known he wanted to help people, wanted to save as many lives as he could before he could no longer hold a scalpel. Ah, the scalpel, his weapon of choice: he had decided to be a trauma surgeon during his first rotation at Gramercy Pristine. Like all interns, Lawrence had tailed his resident as much as possible for as long as was necessary to satisfy the required tasks to be considered for residency. As he picked up an incoming trauma chart, he noticed that the patient’s medical records seemed to be incomplete: there was no indication of whether or not to resuscitate should the need arise, and if a DNR was requested, organ donation had not been confirmed. “Is it so hard for these nimwits to obtain a complete and full medical history?” He prided himself on his attention to detail, and these discrepancies were tantamount to the outcome of his night’s success! Snagging the closest nurse he came across, he informed her of the missing information, and asked her to rectify this oversight as soon as possible. “We alone know how many lives might be saved if we get this right, Janet.”<br/>
Thinking back on that first harvest, he remembered not only the powerful feeling of heroism, but even more so, the affirmation that this, organ donation, was his field. He pledged that night to remain evermore resourceful in procuring these life-saving gifts of strangers; since that night, not one organ had left his control that was not meant for another needy patient. Heading towards the on-call room with hopes of catching some brief shuteye, he summarily managed to push tonight’s case to the back of his mind. He had seen all there was to see of Mrs. Gowan, inside and out, and her gifts were simply magnificent! As pristine as the hospital to which she would donate them to.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Linn Partler had married later than most of her society girlfriends, and had remained a constant worry to her mother because of her reluctance to settle down and start a family. When she did finally seek out a life partner, many suitable bachelors came to call, but none had the attentive eye for continued success or the desire to further their personal lot in life, like Vance Simon Partler. Already comfortably established within his family’s firm, Vance had seemed the most self-assured and placidly calm gentleman that she had ever met. He was not, however, a romancer, and when she thought about their so-called “courtship,” she had to smile wrily to herself; while the affection had always been there, in mutual amounts, the two had never professed undying love or passion for one another, and it seemed to suit their marriage decently enough. She hadn’t pictured starting a family with a man fifteen years her senior, one who seemed completely engrossed in furthering his quickly advancing career as Lauderdale County’s most successful defense attorney. But today, she was a mother, but had never carried a child to term. She really had never even considered adoption before Vance arrived home one autumn afternoon, and announced that it was something he wished to do, at least once.<br/>
Her youngest son entered the family room of the depleted chateau that had been burgled mere days ago, startling her out of her reverie. Returning his smile as he came up from behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck, kissing her on the temple, she thought again of how these beautiful and aspiring adults had come from completely separate origins, and now were easily leading wholesome and honest lives, despite… Well, no matter their beginnings, they need only know how very proud she was for all of their accomplishments both in their individual career choices and academics.<br/>
“How is the _____ case coming along, dove?”<br/>
“Ma! I told you, I hate when you call me that; as if being the baby of the brood isn’t humbling enough! It’s going, for sure. But I doubt I’ll ever see the inside of a courtroom while I’m forced to compete against four other associates who are each vying for second chair in every case that passes through the doors of the district attorney’s office.”<br/>
“Alright, Jamison, I will try to remember in the future: pet names are not for you, is that the gist? And your father would be a great resource to tap into in regards to gaining some sort of advantage when it comes to showing up your competition. Have you spoken to him about this, do…dear?” Not that she thought her husband’s methods of advancement were entirely without cause for concern, but their current status and lifestyle was due wholly to Vance Partler’s penchant for elevation, any arena of his life.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Striding confidently into the family room, she found Lynn and Jamison Partler engaged in affable conversation. “Hey, uh, Mom? Do you think you could fill in some holes for me? I’m doing this research at the office, and I just need to confirm some information I’ve sort of uncovered; Jamison, sorry we’re y’all busy with something else?”<br/>
“No, big sis; Mom’s all yours! I love ya both entirely too much… Later Cam! Mom, I’d like to take you and Dad out for dinner tonight, so I can approach him about what we were talking about, Mom…? Do you know if he’s free? Well, ask, yes? Then let me know when you do; what he says, or what time would be best for him.”<br/>
Watching Baby Yumdud walk out of the room, she secretly swore to herself, “Of all the dumb luck! Why couldn’t the Deb have been adopted into a gaggle of ugly ducklings?” Glancing up quickly, she thought she caught a quizzical knowing smile flash across Mrs. Partler’s face, but she couldn’t be sure. As far as she was concerned, nothing was ever as it first seems.  “Yea, so um…well, I found some stuff, I mean, like discovered some weird shi… Is Dad involved in something shady? I mean, I just ask because of this case he has me working on (whew, was Capt. Murphy a life-saver! There’s no way she would haveknown about the Deb’s current employment status otherwise.) involves two different, well duh, right? Well, these couples are like suing one another, I think? One side says one thing, and the other supposedly has no clue what the first set is talking about. All I know for sure is that babies are involved, and so I’m just wondering if there’s anything I should know about?” The woman was smiling! More like smirking, but it wasn’t just her imagination; what was so flippin’ amusing?, Jezz wondered. “Uh, Mom? You okay? I think I just caught you in a moment, and while I don’t mean to intrude into y’alls marriage or anything, it seems to me that this is kind of an important issue. Right? So like, if you have no clue what I’m talking about, I would say Dad’s got some explaining to do.”-<br/>
“Who’s Deb, Camineesa? And since when do you call your father anything but Mr. C? Are you getting enough sleep these days? I don’t know, and of course I can’t be certain, but ever since you started working with your father at his firm, you’ve been acting very strange. You change your clothes more often than women did in the 19th century! And I always see you walking. What happened to your car, sweetheart? I can ask Alonzo to start picking you up and dropping you at the office again; don’t you think that’s best? You really should try to get more rest at night, and maybe not work so many hours for a while?” Jezz watched incredulously while the Deb’s mom proceeded to inch her way towards the staircase, rambling on and on about Alonzo and sleep… Ok, that totally just happened, right? Or did I call her… did I say ‘Deb’ out loud? Before she could redirect the conversation back to that, Mrs. Partler had disappeared, leaving only her feminine musk behind to indicate that she’d ever entered the room.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
They always say you should live your life with no regrets, and Jayleen Murphy had done her best to accept her choices, make executive unwavering decisions, and not permit outside influences to alter her perception or beliefs. But we all have that one regret that we can’t let go of, that continues to haunt our present just as much as when it came into existence in our past. Jayleen was a twin, and she had yet to meet another similar duo that had separated indefinitely as young adults, and never attempted a reunion. Not that she knew too many twins, but the point was simple, she missed her sister, and she had no idea where she was, or what had happened to her. Had she graduated from high school? Did she know their father was dead now going on ten years? And what about their mother? If she had ever felt any remorse from excommunicating her identical twin, the distance that presently existed between her mother and herself usually abated those feelings of guilt and regret. To this day, she still placed complete and unadulterated blame and responsibility for her disrupted teen years, on her mother. She had judged too harshly, and so very unfairly! But the decision that she had been forced to make following the final blow-up between Jayleen, her twin and their mother would stay with her forever, she was sure of it. The only regret that troubled her sleep each night was walking away from Jai Lynn, simply because she hadn’t supported her original decision to raise her baby at the absurd age of sixteen.<br/>
She had found out that she was pregnant after she had passed her first trimester, and by then it was too late to consider termination. Although she had begged her sister to keep her gigantic secret, Jai Lynn had always been closer to their mother, whereas she felt closer to their father, and so had felt obliged to report this life-altering news. Jai Lynn had actually betrayed her secret! Well, that was what she had initially strongly believed. As it turns out, once she allowed herself to contemplate reason, her mother had somehow instinctually known that one of her twins had climbed womb-deep into trouble, and this just simply had not sat well with her. Jayleen had completely committed to the child growing inside of her, and no matter what her sister, mother OR father would say, she felt certain she could and would be a fit and nurturing mother, if only given the chance. That was not acceptable; even to divorced parental units, supporting a sixteen year old mother was nothing near what they had signed up for. It was simply out of the question, and nothing Jayleen could say even remotely swayed either parent’s opinion on the matter.<br/>
As her pregnancy neared its end, she began overhearing her parents’ preparations for placing the impending arrival up for adoption. She was not to be consulted in this? It was her body, true, but her parents firmly eschewed that she was simply too young to reasonably contemplate the full-time responsibility of taking care of a baby and finishing school. She would graduate, she would move on with her life, but this child was not a negotiable option for Jayleen or her future.<br/>
“So far, all I could find out about the illegal adoption, because Jace, that is what it is, horribly wrong, morally and lawfully so! It’s not the first, and many other similar suits have apparently concluded in settlement or, and this is where is get’s crazy scary, they simply just disappear! Where do they go, Jace? What happened to those babies, those poor defenseless babies that never hurt anybody!?”<br/>
“Cami, sweetheart, I need you to calm yourself, because while I totally feel you on the seriousness of the situation, hyperventilating here, now, is not in any way productive or progressive. Now, with the minimal information we do have in regards to your dad… What? Oh, right, in regards to Mr. C, I don’t think we have enough concrete evidence to take our suspicions to the police. We only get one chance at that, and I think we would present a stronger front or case, whatever you want to call it, if we were to provide incriminating evidence on both your older brother, as well as Mr. Partler. I’m equally stumped as to how to proceed from this point, with my investigation into your brother, Lawrence. I say give both scabs another week tops to fester out, and we should come and regroup with whatever we’ve collected at that point.”<br/>
As he walked Camineesa Partler to the front door of his guest house, he placed his hand lightly on the small of her back, as all gentlemen do, and continued to reassure her that not only would they get to the bottom of both underhanded dealings, they’d do it carefully, be smart through to the end, so that there was no way that either man could profess innocence or ignorance to their individual shady black market activities. Just before she stepped out the door to run through the pouring rain, Cami turned to her best friend’s little brother and, placing a slightly trembling hand on his exquisitely toned muscular chest, she paused for only a second before, leaning slightly into him, pursed her lips, inviting him to meet her half way. So he did, and forever changed himself, and her perspective of him, erasing the chasm that had wordlessly been erected between them. Instinctually, their eyes had closed, but both sensed at the exact same moment the shift in the climate around them. The rain had yet to cease completely, but it was as if it was purposefully avoiding where they both stood, forming a dry circle in which they remained relatively warm and unencumbered by soggy clothes.<br/>
“We should probably talk about this…”<br/>
“Was that too fast, or early?...” Both chuckled at their involuntarily synchronized statements, each deferring to the other to finish their thought. “It was just right, Jace, I’m just glad we pushed past our own hesitations and finally took that leap together.”<br/>
“I second that sentiment, Cami. I’ve wanted to do that for many years, now that I have, I’m not inclined to give you up, or your lips either.” Then, it did stop raining.<br/>
The next moment, Cami had thrown herself into Jace’s arms and sobbed into his shoulder, “Just be careful, Jace. If we’re talking murder for money in either instance, our very lives are at risk. Promise me you’ll take every precaution to stay out of Lawrence’s line of sight, regardless of what you find out about what he’s doing. I mean, like, yea, Carrie would totally kill me if I let you meet that same fate, especially at the hands of my adoptive brother, but I…” She let the rest of her sentence fade away, but he was well aware of her intent. She cared about him, and no longer just as the best friend’s little brother. Sighing to himself, he wrapped his arms around his new girl; she was all his!<br/>
“I promise, babe.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“Not fuckin’ cool, Deb! Hands off Mr. Gorgeous, you pampered slut!” All of sudden, the world became very dark, as if the clouds threatened to block out the sun forever. It seemed the madder she got, the darker the skies became. Weird, she thought absentmindedly. Then as she watched the Deb launch herself at Mr. Gorgeous, she noticed too that the rain that had poured going on four days now, was avoiding the two snuggled under the rainspout of the guesthouse! “Don’t tell me that I get menacing cloud action, while she gets to stay dry. That would so be the luck of the pampered draw; as if she hadn’t been afforded every other advantage known to man! “She’s got her own personal driver, for Christ’s sake! Who is doling out the favors up there, people? I’ll take one anytime you find the next free-flying one!”<br/>
She knew she shouldn’t, but she never had been one to do as she was told, directed, or otherwise instructed; she had a few changes to the game plan going forward. And Captain Murphy could bite all and every single one of her toes if she didn’t like them! There’s no way she or Murphy could have foreseen the Debby getting way too close for Jezz’s comfort to her man. Oh, yea, she’d laid dibs on that from jump. SHE was the one who had hemmed and hawed about making the first move on Mr. Gorgeous. And she was so not about to let that bitch steal the only normal and good thing she’d come across in… well ever!<br/>
It was time to tap into the never-ending flow of cash that was currently being piped into the Deb’s account; oh yeah, that bitch had money, Jezz just knew it! “And who’s gonna think twice about an identical twin coming in for regular LARGE withdrawals? I’m movin’ up today, Debby, and you’re going to foot the whole bill, thanks to yours truly.” Stalking towards the Partler household, she began working out how she was going to locate her clueless twin’s bank and then access her account, or accounts; if she had one, she had many more. Jezz’s mouth began to salivate as she walked through the front door of her new inherited home. Time to work her debutante magic. I should’ve been born a chameleon, she thought silently to herself, in her head. I’m just entirely too good in other people’s skins.<br/>
Maybe you’re right, but now that we know you aren’t who you claim to be, what should we do about that revelation, stranger? Whirling around at the strange voice inside her head, she came face-to-face with Linn Partler. Oh yes, my dear, I can hear youclear as day. And if you’re the identical twin of Camineesa, then she should be coming into her telepathic power as well! Isn’t this exciting? “Or if you’d prefer, we can use words and sounds. Your show, sweetie, I’m just arriving on the scene. First things first, what is your name, dear? And how long have you been impersonating my daughter? Truths only, if you please; it will assuredly go a long way towards my favorable reception and potentially gaining my illicit assistance in your subterfuge.”<br/>
“Alright, look lady, how can you talk to me in my head? I want answers first, because as you just stated (in my head, I might add, she threw accusingly through the air) my identical TWIN and I are just now coming into these “powers,” so how do you explain your ability to telepathically communicate, and then even more interesting, how long have you known? About me, or our powers?” Mrs. Partler just crinkled her nose and turned toward the garage, crooking her finger to indicate that Jezz should follow her, for answers.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“Well, Dr. Partler, we’ve discussed things with our mother’s attorney, and despite having no set plan in regards to a DNR edict, he informed us that she does have a living will, and it explicitly iterates that she does NOT wish to donate any of her organs to research or any other scientific uses. She wishes to remain intact for her burial, and after her obligatory autopsy. I assume that meets with your approval, Dr. Partler? We’d like to have the autopsy started right away, so that we can complete the necessary arrangements to appropriately bury our mother.”<br/>
No, it was absolutely unacceptable! So many lives depended on those still-viable organs, just waiting for harvest and transplant! Steely gray eyes smiled down at the sons and daughter of his latest, deceased patient, as he rapidly searched his mind for an excuse to delay the autopsy. He needed to locate his harvest team, so that they could already be in place when the autopsy did finally proceed. “I understand completely, your concern for your mother’s last rites is commendable and appropriately honorable. But haste is simply not necessary, as the autopsy has already been scheduled for tomorrow evening, which should give the family more than enough time to see to Mrs. Gowan’s funereal needs. May I have the name of the funeral home to which you would like the body sent to for her burial preparations? Then, I’m afraid, our time together is done, and I am sadly only left to wish you the best, as you continue on your grieving journey as you lay the memory  of your gracious mother to rest. You may leave contact information, as well as that of which I just inquired, and I will ensure that the proper personnel sees to the final logistics. Good day to you all.”<br/>
Striding quickly away, he glanced to his right as he passed the nurse’s station saying, “Please, Mary; if you would kindly hold any calls, and refer my appointments for the day to the on-call resident? Thanks so much, I must leave for the day and I don’t suspect I’ll be returning until tomorrow, when I must oversee Mrs. Gowan’s autopsy.” Calmly unbuttoning his lab coat, while heading towards his office, he mentally calculated the flight time from the many regions of the globe from which his harvest team would assemble. Unfurrowing his wrinkled brow, he breathed a sigh of relief as he assured himself that each member would have ample time to arrive in time for tomorrow’s procedure. As long as he shook his black phone tree, NOW.<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
What she had once believed only to be fodder for ER reality shows turned out to be a much more serious and common occurrence when it came time for Jayleen to deliver her baby. She had been too ashamed to continue public school once she had begun to show, so her parents had arranged for her to finish her high school career from home. Three days a week, Jayleen met with a tutor who would first check her past assignments, assign new projects to be completed each day, and monitor her overall (sadly decreasing) rate of progress. She had just barely received a GED, but had not attended the commencement ceremony with her graduating senior class.<br/>
Her head spinning from the blurred fluorescent lights that continued to flash above her vision, she closed her eyes, sending up yet another prayer that her labor would either be swift, uncomplicated, or perhaps both! She, of course had no idea what was more realistic to hope for, as this would be her first (and perhaps only) delivery. Just as she thought to open her eyes again, she heard a familiar, yet not entirely welcome voice inside her head. “You’re going to be fine, honey. Your father has seen to all the arrangements, and once you’ve done your part, we, as your parents, will do ours. I still can’t fathom the reason why you would want to, but keeping this baby is simply not a reasonable option for you. Not when you have so much time ahead of you, a life that is yet to be lived, Jay! As you were lackadaisical about revealing to your father and I, the nature of your undoing, we’ve come to the ony conclusion, and that is adoption. I will not just stand idly by while you throw your life away with a teen pregnancy, Jayleen Murphy! Besides this will all be over soon, and as the rest of us plan to do, you can begin forgetting this debacle ever happened.”<br/>
That was the last thing she heard as her mother was halted at the double doors of the birthing wing. Now she would be strapped down, anesthetized and cut open; it seems complications that had arisen towards the end of her pregnancy mandated that she undergo a Caesarean section if she hoped for any chance of surviving the impending birth. “I wish you were here, sis. I would have thrown the biggest fit until they allowed you into the delivery room with me. I need you to hold my hand, not now, but afterwards, when they come take my baby away from me, Jai Lynn. I miss you, and…”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“We have a slight problem, Murphy. The Partler lady knows. She knows who I am, that I am NOT her daughter, and that apparently I can hear thoughts as well as she can! Oh, I didn’t tell you? Yo, she’s been inside my head for like days now! She knows my secret, she’s even willing to play along, just as long as the Debby doesn’t get hurt somehow, and that I leave her name out of any explanation I might have to come up with, should the need arise; you know, cuz your peeps decide to lock me up?!”<br/>
“Alright, this is still manageable, Jezz. She knows your name, but does she know you were involved in robbing her house? See? Like I said, manageable. Would you mind telling me how exactly you let yourself get found out like that, though? Man, Jezz, I thought you had the secret DOWN! You know how imperative it is to keep our ability low-key! And here you are sharing dirty thoughts with the unsub's wife!”<br/>
Ducking lower inside the front passenger seat, she whispered, “Look, its that Lawrence guy, Murphy! Wonder what he’s doing home so early? I mean like, I think he works late on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Maybe he switched shifts?” Turning back to Captain Murphy, she concentrated on shielding her thoughts from her telepathic law enforcement mentor. The last thing she needed was to hear all about the disadvantages of becoming too emotionally attached to her mark. In her opinion, the Partlers were still just that: a sweet deal, true, but a mark nonetheless. Additionally, it really wouldn’t do if Murphy was to catch on to her cash flow plans. When she was done jamming the head man, Mr. C, as she had been reminded by Lynn to refer to her husband in the future, she would hem up the Debby. And boy was she in for the rudest of awakenings!<br/>
There was simply no way to ask her without coming right out and pointedly asking, “do you hear voices, dear?” At least not without her getting suspicious, Linn Partler thought to herself as she took another stealthy drag from her third cigarette of the day. A nasty secret to be sure, but one luxury, as it were, that she allotted herself every stressful blue moon. The fact that she was already nearing the end of a quarter of a pack, she knew indicated the quickly-growing need to do something, fast, to regain control of the tumultuous situation bouncing around in her family home. Jamison, her youngest sweetling, her dove (she smiled to herself as she remembered his profound reaction to her regular use of this particular endearment) seemed to be the only unaffected, mundane life that had managed to endure the last few months, and for this she was grateful. Now, Camineesa… she was an entirely different matter. Not only did she have a twin that she was completely unaware of, but apparently she too could communicate telepathically! She wondered if her daughter would ever have come to her with this new development, or if she would have just went on with her life, bearing this awesome burden alone, afraid she would be labeled as a loonie.<br/>
That was what Lynn had always feared; she had started hearing other people’s thoughts at the unfortunate age of eighteen. So not only did she earn her independence, her right to vote, but also the knowledge of “overhearing,” as she had come to call her eavesdropping ability, stranger’s personal mental battles of life. At first, she really truly thought she had gone bat-shit crazy, and just knew there was NO WAY she could go to either of her parents with this latest development… uh, milestone? However, she had been found out without any intent on her part, much like Jezzimeen (her daughter’s doppelganger) who had unknowingly revealed her own ability to Lynn on that fateful morning not too long ago. She wasn’t sure of the origin or logistics of the whole thing, but she was pretty sure that if they looked alike, chances are Camineesa and Jezzimeen shared the ability to not only to hear and communicate with other telepaths, but if these two were in form with herself, they had a surprise or two in store! Hopefully, Lynn thought wrily, they’ll both turn to someone like myself who can mentor and guide them in their new abilities. Otherwise… Lynn shuddered to think of the global fallout that would take place were those two ladies not properly prepared for their potential.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“Vance, all I’m saying is that it just isn’t smart to have her so close to this case! Not only is she a product of your illicit means of income, but if she digs any deeper into the similar past of the firm, we could be looking at serious damage from which I’m not confidently sure we can recover.”<br/>
“I’m in complete control of what she discovers, and she has absolutely no way of finding evidence that this is an ongoing, and thriving I might add, practice of this firm, Dalma. I purposefully placed her in the position of investigating the suit, not the history, or means and method.” Slightly ruffled at the thought that his sideline income of arranged adoption might be experiencing any form of obstacle, he knew he exuded much more confidence to the partners than that of which he truly felt. He had sensed an immediate need to assemble the partners to conference the ramifications of employing his own adoptive daughter as its sole investigator, a role that he himself had suggested in order to ascertain what exactly the plaintiffs of their latest suit knew and what they only suspected. “In that regard, she has exceeded all expectations and we are now even more prepared to offer a placating sum once this case inevitably turns toward settlement. I assure you all, she is well in line, and presents no threat to myself or any one of us sitting here today. Now, should that ever change, and I feel that she has become a hindrance rather than a boost to our staff, I will personally handle the dissimilation of that particular employment contract. If we’re all satisfied with the progress and status, I adjourn this meeting; let’s call-in for lunch, shall we? Which cuisine are we on today, Ferdinand? Thai, I hope. I could go for something inexorably spicy right about now.”<br/>
Chortling companionably with his neighboring partners and associates as they all gathered their notes and briefs, he internally berated himself for ever endeavoring to involve his adopted ward in his underworld, so-called scheme of alternative and private adoption. The outside world would view this enterprise as baby-snatching, but Vance had always felt he was simply aiding in the ever-present need for completeness in terms of offspring to love, raise, and nurture. He had happened upon this supplemental cause of wealth nearly twenty years ago, when he had discovered an uncanny ability to sell and persuade disgruntled parents of teen mothers to place the unborn up for adoption. Over the years, the process had worked itself out so that today, he now provided a guarantee to all applying couples in search of this cast-off orphans, that the adoption would not only be swift and stress-free, but that he was more than grateful to place the poor undesired children in loving homes in which they could grow up in a stable and loving home. Slick, is what he was really, he thought smugly. And at no time had he contemplated a misfire or complication, until now.<br/>
Alfred Dalma, one of the remaining original associates of PJ&amp;A, had pointedly hit close to the unprepared-for mark that Camineesa, his newest protégé employee, had become increasingly aware and curious about the suit for which he had assigned her to gather information. And if he didn’t rein her in immediately, she could present severe and possibly irreparable problems for the firm. And all thanks to his prideful need to flounce his personal accomplishments. The most beautiful one of these was undoubtedly lovely Camineesa. He would seriously regret having to fulfill his dark promise to dissimilate her employment; but needs must.<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
Contrary to her usual run of luck, Jezzimeen had managed to persuade Linn Partler to provide her with matching debit cards and checks for each and every account that her daughter, Camineesa had. In essence affording her the unencumbered access she required to fulfill her silent, separate and private plans of Debbie destruction. After her last debrief with Captain Murphy, she had made her way back to the Partler residence only to be stopped dead in her tracks by the last thing she had ever expected to see. On one hand giddy with anticipation, Jezz had only briefly recalled the detail of Mr. Gorgeous’ return affection for her reflection, and that she was not alone in this possession. Had she contemplated the possibility of mistaken identity on Jace Jackson’s part (which she felt was entirely the Deb’s fault, as she had never shown any interest in him prior to Jezz’s appearance in his life), she might have been better prepared for the painful vision she had been confronted with.<br/>
Jezz had a plan, however, to turn these unfortunate (and stomach-turning) events to her advantage. Jace simply believed that the Debbie was genuinely attracted to him, when in reality, Jezz ardently believed that the Deb in question was using Jace for her own agenda and purposes. On the other hand, Jezz had begun to nurture intense and heartbreakingly real feelings for opportune neighbor. She not only had fallen in on a great life, courtesy of the rudest debutante she’d ever came across, but she had a hunky group to call family, and to top it all off, she would have Jace. Determined as she was to achieve this last opportunity, she slowly began to formulate her plan for reversal. She already had the look, now she simply needed to implement the kicker: the Deb’s disloyalty. She had no doubt that the Partler twin was fast and loose with her amorous attentions, so it simply led to reason that she would continue to be unfaithful and inconsiderate female to this man, my man, Jezz thought vehemently. Remaining invisible to her unfortunately identical twin would be the only continued obstacle Jezz felt she might face, but the means served the ends if ever a cause had. When the truth of their individual identities came to light, the Deb would have her own catty personality to blame for her loss and predicament.<br/>
Ringing the buzzer at the side of Jackson’s guesthouse, she waited prettily, again looking forward to seeing Mr. Gorgeous and putting her plan to win him entirely for herself, into action. “Oh hey babe, you changed your clothes again, I see. Come on in, I’m making popcorn; I was just about to watch a movie, if you’re interested?” Smiling hungrily at the man’s fine full ass, she just nodded her assent and followed him into the living room. Nice digs, boo! We could so make a life here. Together, of course. You and me, NOT the Debbie! Quickly replacing her scowl with her brightest smile, she settled onto the plush magenta velour couch, slipping of her sneakers, and tucking her feet underneath her rump. As Jace came to sit beside her, she placed her hand on his thigh, leaned into his shoulder and sighed contentedly. Feeling her smile grow exponentially when he voluntarily, but hesitatingly placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. I gives a DAMN what we’re watching. Put this shit on repeat, boo. I’m good right here….<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
The last to arrive, and late as usual, Lawrence scanned the autopsy room, glad to finally have the team assembled for the pending procedure. “Not that it is relevant, to any of us anyway, but I feel obliged out of loyalty to all of you, to impart the minutiae of this ordeal. The harvest will be completed today on an unwilling donor. Being deceased, however, unfortunately renders the patient’s wishes null and void. Now, this isn’t our first rodeo; we all know our duties, and steps to take should an unforeseen complication arise during the autopsy. If you all will excuse me, I will be back shortly with our latest life-saving benefactor.”<br/>
As much as he hated to admit it, Lawrence was absolutely enthralled at the prospect of harvesting yet another full slate of organs, and checking to make sure the “I’s” and “T’s” were duly dotted and crossed was the last step in this magnanimous endeavor. The paperwork perfectly accurate and complete, he turned towards the morgue’s bank of elevators, head down, engrossed in his mission. As he rode to the first floor, he took no notice of the orderly standing behind and to the right of him. Reaching their intended floor, he blithely stepped out, marching smartly towards the recently deceased Mrs. Gowan’s room, rearranging his face to display empathy and regret, should he find a trailing family member still grieving by the bedside.<br/>
Just before he could reach out and turn the doorknob, the same orderly urgently tapped him on the shoulder. “Dr. Partler? Are you headed in for the Gowan remains, sir?” asked the orderly.<br/>
Glancing unsuspectingly back over his shoulder, not registering a face or even a nametag, he answered, “Yes, of course. She is scheduled for autopsy now, and I have volunteered to escort her down to the morgue. Was there something you needed, nurse?” Continuing uninhibited, he stuck his head in partway inside the room, glancing around to assess its inhabitants and, finding only a dead one, pushed and propped the door open to allow for the gurney to exit.<br/>
“I only ask, sir, because the family requested that a nurse be present during the autopsy, and I mean, I am available, I’d be more than happy to assist and join you downstairs.”<br/>
Laughing dismissively, Lawrence replied, “I’m fairly certain that is completely unnecessary as there is a team already assembled for the autopsy. But I commend your eagerness and will be sure to relate your ambition to your superior; what is their name, uh…oh, why Jace! I almost didn’t even recognize you! How the hell are you, kid? Oh, right, well, as I’ve said, everything is well in hand, so if you could please inform the Gowan family, when next you see them, that their desires have been heard and have already been fulfilled. It was good seeing you, Jace. How long have you been with us?”<br/>
“Uh, six months, Dr. Partler. You don’t remember? …You’re my sponsor? You gave me a character reference and everything… Well, it doesn’t matter, I don’t think one more body would do anyone any harm, would it? I’m free, and I’ve completed all of my other duties. I’ll just ride down with you, see how it all goes down. You know, like research or whatever? I still haven’t decided where I fit into the whole medical field; it might be as a coroner!” Laughing lightly, he went around to the opposite side of the bed, and bent over to disengage the brakes on the gurney. As he first pulled and then pushed it into alignment with the door, he managed to avoid making eye contact, and instead set his gaze on the hallway beyond the suddenly mute doctor.<br/>
He couldn’t very well tell the kid off, but he was certainly ill-prepared to allow Jace Jackson admittance to the harvest! Would he even know the difference between a harvest and an autopsy?, Lawrence wondered to himself. He would simply have to risk it, or come up with an alternate plan that included deft evasion and possible kidnapping or other hostage-taking measures.<br/>
____________________________________________<br/>
“You did so great, honey! Well, according to the surgeon who oversaw you C-section, you were quite the trooper!” Yippee-fuckin-Kie-i-a! As long as I was on my game, everything is just great, right mom? But her mom was already flouncing away towards the open waiting room doors, and tossed her last missive over her shoulder, “Just think, Jayleen, now you’re free again, and you can pick your life back up where you left off!” Feeling the beginning prick of tears sting her eyes, she quickly tucked her chin into her chest, holding her breath in an effort to stem the flow of the sure-to-follow torrent of grief at the physical and eternal loss of the one piece of her that had kept her naïvely young: her innocence of motherhood. She had nothing to show for the last ten months of her struggle to prepare herself for this moment. Jayleen had secretly harbored the hope that her parents, divorced though they were, would eventually change their mind about forcing her to give up her baby. But that dream had just died with her mother’s last words. At eighteen, she could sign herself out whenever she chose, and what better time than now? Today, she would pick-up and start her life. She just hadn’t decided where she was going to do it.<br/>
“I’d like to go home NOW, please.” Too late she remembered that she had just undergone an invasive and dangerous surgery, and should stay abed until she was healed enough to be able to get up from her hospital bed without ripping any stitches. She knew that she would never get to see her baby, much less hold and smell it! She had demanded one contingency: she would be permitted to name the tyke. So, she’d just stay here; she’d wait until she had thought of the perfect name, before she signed away her rights to her only child. If she was smart, she would never put herself through this torture ever again. If at eighteen (well, almost eighteen), her parents felt she was not prepared to effectively mother a child of and on her own, then when would she be ready? Five, ten years from now? She wouldn’t put such pressure on herself; it was best to either remain abstinent and celibate, or shuck it all out with the wash, and request tubal ligation. Again, she would have to wait… WAIT?! Wait! She turned eighteen in FOUR WEEKS! Could she prolong her recovery that long? If she waited as long to sign-off on the adoption paperwork, her parents would not have any more say about her remaining a parent than her doctors! Talk about a plan! Oh, she was going to milk this for every second she could. And she was NOT leaving this building until she was eighteen! A young mother, Jayleen thought to herself happily, she was looking forward to her four week vacation from life. She may not be permitted to observe or cuddle her baby, but she could wait; the end result was well worth it.<br/>
“No, I’m sorry; please tell my parents, if they’re still even here, that I’ve changed my mind. I will complete my recovery here in hospital. They don’t need to worry about signing me out or anything, I’ll be just fine. It shouldn’t take more than what? A couple of weeks? To fully heal, I mean… Then it looks like I have nothing but time on my hands! Could I get a menu? And a remote? Maybe some crayons and coloring book? I don’t mean to be a bother, but I figure if I ask for everything all at once, I won’t have to keep you running all around trying to keep  me comfy. Thanks!”<br/>
In hushed tones, the team debated how to proceed in the event of a hiccup or other equally undesirable situation. They had watched expressionless as the team leader, Dr. Partler had guided in the subject, additionally accompanied by a live body, a person walking upright, no less, that was not part of any plan previously discussed. “An aspiring medical intern has volunteered to observe the procedure tonight, courtesy and on behalf of the deceased next of kin, who have stipulated an express wish to have a witness in attendance this evening. As none of the family are by regulation permitted into an autopsy room, Mr. Jackson here will represent the family in their stead.<br/>
Passing a cursory glance around the now almost filled to capacity room, he made sure each made individual eye contact with him, in order to communicate the necessary steps that would be needed to adapt to this new turn of events. Of the six bodies presently in attendance in Autopsy One, it was, throughout the team, affirmed that only four would exit in the same state as to which they had come. Heading the foreign branches of the harvest team was the highly regarded, and therefore respected, Davi Chun. On his domestic forays, he moonlighted in a local lift team, where he played the role of aloof, and largely dimwitted male lead. He had recently supplemented his income from the most lucrative lift job that he had been asked to assemble a team for, but greatly preferred these harvest gigs, where he was again team lead, but could expect an even greater compensation for his much sought-after line of services.<br/>
A former medical student who had yet to take his exams, he had all the necessary knowledge to complete the tasks assigned to him, and due to the frequency with which Dr. Partler required his set of skills, he also retained an abundance of experience, and therefore displayed an effortlessly calm façade of determination and ease. Many times, usually following such a harvest, he would seriously contemplate yet again, the desire to not only finish his medical studies, but obtain a stable placement within his field of specialty, that of precision surgery. He prided himself on the nonexistence of scars or other telltale signs of invasive excavation, as he began his methodical process of “closing up shop,” as he liked to refer to the final suturing of a harvest. Now, merely glancing at his fellow foreign counterparts, he deferred to the doctor’s unspoken instructions, and prepared for the extra excitement that was sure to follow.<br/>
_________________________________________<br/>
She knew when she walked into her father’s oldest partner’s office, that the upsoming discussion would a) not be pleasant, and b) could very well be her last. Somewhere deep in her marrow she was undeniably aware that she had stumbled on the wrong information. Wrong in terms of any hopes she held of continuing life as a whole person with all limbs and organs physically intact and in her possession. She had obtained concrete evidence that not only was her adoptive father, Mr. Partler, an avidly lucrative baby-snatcher, it turns out he had been in this illicit line of business for almost two whole decades! She marveled, in horror really, at the ever-growing list of babies that had been pronounced dead, “found” later by Mr. C, and placed in loving if illegitimate homes of both wealthy, yet barren clients who sought his firm out for precisely the opposite result of what he had apparently been providing! Clean and voluntary adoptions of babies that simply needed a good, nurturing, if not ostentatiously comfortable, home. While the list remained largely incomplete, many babies had been placed in such a manner over the last twenty years, some of them placed right around the time, Camineesa had herself been adopted. She had yet to find any evidence indicating any untowardness surrounding her particular placement. But then again would they really just leave THAT information laying around for me to find, she had pondered on more than one occasion.<br/>
“Please come in, Miss. Partler.” Things already didn’t sound good! What happened to just plain Camineesa?! “I’m not sure if you’re aware of the upheaval you have managed to unfurl on this firm, Camineesa.” Well, at least it’s here now! “We expected great things from you, as your mentor is one of our very best, one of our own. However, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, Mr. Partler is unavailable to account for his poor judgment in employing you in the role for which you are currently being reviewed for contractual retraction.”<br/>
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure I understood you correctly. Are you saying that I’m being fired, Mr. Dalma? How could you possibly justify that action?” Damn it, Cami! Was that really the smartest thing you could’ve said, at this precious and most crucial of moments?! “Never mind that, what about a vote? I mean, I’ve been doing a great, fantastically awesome job here, you know. And I think I should receive just a little more credit for all of my efforts, okay? So… now is a good as time as any to explain the justification for releasing me from my present employment, and then I’d like to know what exactly it is that I’ve done to merit such action, or ‘uncovered’ that would remotely put the firm in dire straits, or otherwise cause distress or hardship to the partners of PJ&amp;A.”<br/>
As the meeting continued in this fashion, the end minutes reflected that resources were being rapidly depleted (They weren’t actually serious, right?), as a direct result of her overindulged methods of investigating the trivial (“I think I’m gonna puke, like, with all real seriousness here, people.”) and generally believed to be “insignificant” matter of adoption fraud for which the firm itself was being sued, as well as the client of whom had originally inquired about the adoption placement in the first place. Yes, that’s right; it was totally her fault that these old farts are not only corrupt and dishonest, but that they had been forced to use their own resources to fund an investigation under which they themselves had been scrutinized and called to account.<br/>
“I’ll go. No problem; but rest assured you will hear from me again, and soon. Need I remind you that my father works here, let me rephrase that last: he is a leading PARTNER of this firm, and without his consent, you have released me from my employment. And boy, do I have a suit for YOU!!!” Stalking out of the luxurious conference room for what seemed the last time, Camineesa, intent on her own quick retreat, failed to observe her surroundings and that of the presence of some very unsavory (and needless to say, unfamiliar) elevator companions.<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
She had devised an inconspicuous method of removing cash from her twin, the Deb’s overflowing accounts. She hadn’t been aware at the time she had persuaded Linn Partler such liberated access to these funds, that said funds were replenished daily! By more than tenfold, no less! So although she was not affecting the Deb’s finances in any shape or fashion, she had hit an ever-growing gold mine, that would absolutely never see red. As she was withdrawing  her last $5,000 of the day, a sharp shooting pain sliced across shoulders, leaving what felt like a white-hot sting shoulder bone to shoulder bone, as if she had been branded. The invisible blow flung her to her knees, and head hanging down, she struggled laboriously to regain her feet. She couldn’t decide what was up or down; was it night or day? What day was it? Feeling as if she had been transported to a dark cavernous abyss, she began to hesitatingly feel her way towards the nearest solid object. A building or vehicle perhaps. Then, simultaneous flashes of pain in each wrist, causing her to lose her balance and fall again to the ground. Unable to focus her vision any longer, she chose to simply roll over onto her stomach, spread-eagle, lying face down on the pavement. Here, she thought, she was sure to be found by a passerby; hopefully in time.<br/>
Not five minutes (but what felt to Jezz, like five years) later, she heard the worst kind of passerby. Not so much a stranger, but the lifetime adversary of the small-time criminal. Static feedback and then a voice spoke into a radio, “I’ve got a body here. Female, twenties, African American. She doesn’t appear to be breathing. Please instruct.” After another short burst of static, and pause in the frequency indicated that a response was being made, and soon after footsteps drawing nearer to her inert, trembling form laying surreptitiously on the sidewalk.<br/>
“Young lady? Can you hear me? If you can hear me, please indicate so in some way. Do you know your name? Are you… Camineesa Partler? I have your bank and credit cards here, and your face matches that of the photo on both. Alright, now can you talk?” Undescribable pain seared her forehead as she ever so slowly tilted her chin first down then raised it again, once to indicate she had the abilities of communication and hearing. Well, for a second there… Then all went black; a fuzzy, heavy dragging sensation tugging her down into the serene dreamless state of unconsciousness.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“Reports of a celebrity-level kidnapping have begun to emerge here on the street where beautiful 23 year old Camineesa Partler resides with her adoptive family. She was last seen arriving at the law offices of Partler, Jackson &amp; Associates three days ago, where authorities believe she had been employed for a little over six months. Her employer, Mr. Vance Partler, the so named leading partner of PJ&amp;A has been unavailable for comment. This concerns authorities, who believe that the young Miss. Partler may have stumbled across unsubstantiated evidence of illicit and fraudulent activities, conducted within the firm for the past two decades.”<br/>
“Shit wait, Camineesa? She said her name was Jezzimeen, right? That bitch who skipped town after that last lift job we did over in Glamour Heights, ain’t it? So how she’d end up schmoozing with big shot attorneys like they got down there at that PJ&amp;A place they’re talking about?”<br/>
“I don’t know, Fox, but I do know that that last name sounds uncomfortably familiar. Too close for comfort kind of familiar. It’s strange really, though, if you think about it. Cuz that girl? She might look like Jezzimeen, but I’d thrown down huge money to wager they ain’t the same girl. Which can only mean one thing: pretty GlamHigh girl’s got herself a thief for a twin. Wonder who all knows about that? Something tells me a mutual acquaintance of mine is not counted among those in the know. It’s definitely something to think about; could prove to be useful…uh, information in the future, don’t you think?”<br/>
“Hell yea, Boss. What you got in mind?”<br/>
“I’ll let you know when I’m sure; but be ready to move at any moment. There’s a stupid good profit to be had from this little turn of events. If that Jezz chick hadn’t bounced town like she did, we could a made a good show of things, UGLY things if you catch my meaning.”<br/>
“Heck, Davi, I don’t know why you even trusted the bitch in the first place; the way you was talking she knew too damn much about too damn much. And the fact that she didn’t even wait around for us to give her share of the fence money… That don’t seem a little suspicious to you?”<br/>
“What’s even more important to me at this time, and what will undoubtedly prove more valuable to us all in the long run, is that nobody knows there’s two Jezz’s. Like I said, a LOT of money could be had with just that kind of information. A potentially unending flow, to be certain.”<br/>
“It’s a fuckin shit storm, is what it is, Murphy! You don’t know how to run an undercover op to save your life; who the fuck put you on this one anyway? I want that person’s badge! Let me get this fuck-up all fuckin straight. You got no informant; wait, no you GOT one, you just don’t know where the fuck she’s at, am I right? Then you got a black market fuckin’ FIELD day right in your greedy motherfuckin’ hands, and what do you do? You’re sittin’ on it, like you could get anything bigger than a twenty-year running black market trade involving baby-snatching and adoption fraud. No, wait, I’m not done. Shut your hole. I’m putting this next one ALL on you, cuz you don’t let anyone in. You won’t take help from anybody! And that selfish pride of yours, Murphy, got an innocent boy KILLED! Cuz he was busy doing YOUR dirty work! You gonna explain to his parents, who I might add are PARTNERS-IN-CRIME WITH THE BABY-SNATCHER, why their son was found in an autopsy room, without any organs left inside him?! YOU get the fuck out of my face, before I tear you a new asshole, Murphy! You may be a captain today, but shine that badge while you can, lady. You ain’t gonna have it for much longer; not if I have anything to say about it! And that’s my fuckin’ word.”<br/>
Face burning from the inside inferno of boiling rage and embarrassment, Captain Jayleen Murphy quietly opened the Chief of Police’s office door and walked out. And kept on walking, out the precinct’s front door, out of the parking lot, and broke into a run. She had no definitive plan of where she was going, she knew only that, to keep her sanity, not to mention her job, she had better exert some of the scalding self-hatred she had roiling in her stomach. She ran, and just kept running; it was all true, she thought to herself. She couldn’t find Jezz; she hadn’t been in touch in days, and yet Jayleen knew from the raw nauseating pitch in her stomach that something was horribly wrong. She had been feeling this way since the night she had heard that Camineesa Partler was thought to have been abducted while leaving her father’s law offices. A loss like she had never before experienced engulfed her in waves upon waves, at times debilitating her ability to walk, or even see! And as if she was a mother herself, she found herself crying desperately for the mother of Camineesa Partler. It wasn’t so much a shock to hear that she had been adopted; Jezzimeen had been as well. But Jayleen Murphy virtually grieved for their mother; what she must be going through! To have given up her babies for adoption so many years ago, to never, perhaps, have ever been able to see them since birth! And then to hear their names, the ones she herself had surely christened them with, in such dire straits! Well, Camineesa anyway, as Jezzimeen was still presently unaccounted for. But a mother would recognize one twin or another, wouldn’t she?<br/>
But what made things unbearably worse for Captain Murphy was that the Chief had been deadpan accurate when he described the innocence of the life of Jace Jackson, biological son to the second leading partner in the corrupt firm of PJ&amp;A. Had he been aware of his father’s involvement? A better question could be posed to the surviving Jackson parents: was Mr. Jackson involved? Or merely guilty by a long-standing association? Either way, the Jackson’s had no direct involvement, as far as Murphy could tell, with the secret goings-on at Gramercy Pristine Hospital. It was there that their innocent and naïvely unaware son had met his end. Ironically, while in an autopsy room, assumedly to merely observe a procedure as mundane as baking pie. But what few knew was that Jace Jackson had discovered that Dr. Lawrence Partler had in fact been involved in even more, to Jayleen’s way of thinking, larcenous and underhanded activities than that of his adoptive father. Dr. Partler was an avid organ harvester. As if the salary a doctor receives did not suffice, Lawrence Partler had taken to hurrying along the deaths of his elderly, and only sometimes terminally ill patients, in order to take advantage of the abundance of life-saving organs found within each deceased involuntary donor.<br/>
While, whenever he was to be confronted and charged with these heinous acts of debauchery and abhorrently immoral theft, he may have a seemingly viable desire to prolong the lives of other, more lively and predominantly healthy patients around the world, his actions were simply and irrefutably illegal and as the death of the Jackson boy indicated, extremely dangerous in regards to innocent lives. I can’t bring anyone back from the dead, Jayleen thought, nearing an appropriate turn-around spot, and before so doing, jogged placidly in place to summon her second wind for the equally taxing run home. “No, but you can hear them, Jayleen. You can speak to us, too. If you let us, we could also be of assistance to you now, and whenever you find need of us in the future…”<br/>
This stopped her cold. Why did it seem as if that voice was not her own, but yet strangely familiar? That gut-wrenchingly nostalgic familiarity that came only from the memory of a lost loved one. “Daddy? Was that you? Please tell me that was you, and I haven’t started hearing random voices at odd times in my life.”<br/>
”Of course, silly! I realize we’ve never communicated like this… well ever, since I left you those years ago. But I’ve always been here. And I always will be. When, now that, my princess, is entirely up to you.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
You know how when you think you’re crazy, you spend most of your time trying to refute that belief? Or how about when everyone else was sure you were crazy, so they refused to release from the looney bin?<br/>
Jezz scribbled this last ferociously, intent on carving this sentiment, this truth, her truth, into the notebook, for anyone who decided to listen, or read. She stopped, flexing and turning her wrist and hand to work out the kinks and cramps that had built up from the exerted pressure she had applied to the pen and paper in front of her. The irony of the whole shebang was that, she was actually telling the truth, but because no one knew Jezzimeen Partler existed, to all who mattered in the SOMETHING HERE administration, she was Camineesa Partler. Why now do you decide to claim that name? Do you honestly think Andrew gives enough of a shit about you to come retrieve you from the spaz house?! But no matter what name she gave, she would only be released after she accepted her “true” identity, and could describe how she came to be lying on a sidewalk near the police precinct, four days ago.<br/>
Murphy has probably birthed enough cows to fund a small meat market by now! One infuriating thing that Jezz had discovered in her short time at SOMETHING HERE: it was NOTHING like the police station or pokey. An insane asylum did not permit its patients, (or “guests,” as they were so fondly referred to by the condescending staff) any phone privileges, so there was no way to contact Captain Jayleen Murphy, and inform her of the unwavering facts of the situation. A singularly simple fact, actually! While she had been walking away from an ATM, focused solely on pocketing her fraudulently acquired cash stipend that she had just withdrawn, she had been felled by an unspeakable, dizzying sensation caused by an unseen assault to her back and shoulders. Then, as she had begun to struggle back to her feet, a viselike grip took hold of both wrists causing her too very nearly faint! The pavement swimming, it was all she could do to crawl on her tummy to a visible point on the sidewalk where she finally collapsed in a quivering heap, just hoping and praying she would be found, preferably alive!<br/>
So here I sit, in the spaz house, without a single possibility of rescue; to those in power Upstairs…? I have learned my ironic lesson, and would very much like to live in the land of the…semi-sane within the confines of the general public. What lesson is worse than that which admonishes you for doing exactly what you want, only what you feel you truly deserve, of course; and then lays you low by some surreal form of twin syndrome malady? Having ample time to ponder the events in question, and accounting for the fact that she was a twin, who just happened to share telepathic powers with her estranged sibling, she had settled on the conclusion that the Deb was in bookoo trouble. Firmly denying to herself that she gave two shits, she had to accede that she might find advantage to learning what exactly had befell her pampered twin sister. If only to convince the earthly powers that be here in SOMETHING HERE, that she was in fact who she said she was, and that it was her identical twin to which they should flock to aid. Yep, good luck with that logic, piggy-pants! Your thievin’ ass just HAD to screw over the debutante, and now you’re sitting here trying to work out a plan to prove a) you’re not crazy (ha, ha), and b) that you have a twin, who in all actuality is the one in distress. How sane does that sound to you? Hmm, screwed much?<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“It’s dark, it stinks, I’m cold…and hungry as heck! Someone might want to pay a light bill, or perhaps hire a maid. But first things first, feed me!!!!” Before it became a mantra, returning to her comfort expression of tucking her chin into her chest, she went back to slowly wriggling, centimeter by centimeter, out of the rope that bounded both her hands and feet. She had no idea how long she had been in this dark dump, but she knew for certain that she was royally ticked off! First, I get fired, for no durnable reason! No wait, that’s not entirely true. Apparently she had done her job too well! She had learned too much, but instead of just firing her and sending her off with a signed nondisclosure agreement, they had kidnapped her! Alright, she wasn’t a hundred percent positive that the PJ&amp;A law firm had any way been involved with her abduction, aside from the fact that the kidnappers had been riding the elevator down with her from the 51st floor, on which the firm’s offices were located.<br/>
She had already searched blindly along the perimeter of her dungeon, for what other word could the stinky, dank, freezing space be called? Finding no crevice or feeling any draft, she had finally accepted that she was below…somewhere, and therefore without acquiring some serious ninjitsu skills, she wasn’t going anywhere without some help. Suddenly, a scraping noise sounded from above. Pointlessly looking skyward, she tried to determine the time of day, and/or the number of people preparing to enter the black space she currently called home. “How much did you ask for, Boss? I mean, any number is good by me; I’m just wondering.”<br/>
“The recent turn of events has allowed for a drastic escalation in the ransom request. One is way more valuable than the other, and I’d rather get more any day. But we gotta play this smart, because on top of that value, we got two fouls to profit from. Baby-snatchin’ and organ harvesting; I couldn’t have prayed for a better opportunity. Nothin’ but money to be made here, F…we gotta find you a name, bro. Hey you, GlamHigh girl! You hungry? You sure do smell bad (the two men chuckled at this), but no one’s going to see you anytime soon.”<br/>
“Excuse me? Yes, I am hungry, it’s NOT my fault that I profuse unnatural odor, and I would like to see where I am; is all that too much to ask?! For kidnappers, you sure do talk too much, around me mostly, but in general as well. But it is truly beyond me how either of you know about organ harvesting; that’s in a whole different part of town!”<br/>
She felt pain, sadness, grief, loss, anger, hatred, jealousy, disappointment, and horrendously confused! Confused because she felt anything at all! Jezz was so unaccustomed to having her own feelings, that she began to suffocate under the other emotions of those tied to her by blood and DNA. Pain, she only hoped that this meant the Deb was still alive. Jezz hadn’t warmed up to the idea of calling her twin by her given name, but… well she knew who she was. Grief, a mother’s grief? We don’t even know our mom! But she could know them, right? Whatever, moving on. Sadness, that was a very disturbing sensation, because while she felt it, she had no idea why. Nor was she looking forward to figuring out the answer. Sadness was swiftly followed by loss, and the more time she spent contemplating what she didn’t, couldn’t understand the stronger her desire to get the fuck out of this place! Jezz told herself it had nothing to do with the pull of necessity; someone specifically was feeling a LOT, and their angst clawed at her psyche and created a slow, roiling burn in the pit of her stomach. For someone not accustomed to feeling anything, for anyone, EVER… shit, it’s a lot of damn work feeling everyone. She had mastered her empathic curse so as to determine whether or not she was assimilating from her immediate surroundings, or just those to whom she shared any significant connection to.<br/>
Jealousy had never been a trait that Jezz had ever spent too much time on; if she wanted to be something she wasn’t, she wasn’t being real, right? True to herself always, since no one else put her first, she had decided long ago, that she would never let herself down in such a way as to later question what the fuck she had been thinking. Hatred, Jimeny! That brought waves of bright flashes of red, hot and searing; feeling under constant attack, Jezz wondered whether or not it was her hatred for the Deb; she had to admit to severe dislike, but she’d always djsajfslafl that hating someone was entirely too much work, and why even waste that kind of time on someone you don’t like? Like, who does that? The energy some people expended on total and virtual strangers boggled her mind. Why voluntarily stay where you’re not happy? Why subject yourself to a life of misery when you could just move around?<br/>
The disappointment she had felt off and on for the last few days, crawled under her skin like an ill-fitting foreign skin. This in particular did NOT resonate from within, nor nearby. But it reared its ugly head, the intensity pulsated like blood gushing from a fatal wound. It was at these times when she found herself prioritizing her alien emotions, because she figured if she was stuck as the “family empath,” she needed to better control the effects each person’s turmoil had on her mental and especially physical well-being. Physical pain was nothing to Jezz, but to mentally radiate another person’s deep-seated agony of loss, grief and PAIN, that was the most unnerving impact of all!<br/>
She had ran through the dinky notepad they had finally permitted her to have during “active hours,” as long as she was in viewing distance of a staff member, or involved in some group activity. Right, like that’ll ever happen. I don’t do cray-cray, and y’all really don’t want me to start up in here. So when she asked for a perhaps larger, thicker notebook, it was put in her file that she had requested writing materials and specified her need as follows:<br/>
PT states that [she] feels tumultuous, and so needs to have a physical outlet on which to untangle [her] emotions. PT has agreed to share, upon request, [her] observations and conclusions of this personal internal journey.<br/>
Jezz wasn’t so sure about the sharing bit, but whatever, man. Whatever helps you sleep at night, people. I just want some fuckin’ paper.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Linn Partler had a real bad feeling about recent events. She fought her conscience daily, at war because although she had not technically done anything wrong or illegal, morally, she knew she had made a huge mistake. And now her adoptive daughter was missing, and her twin… Jezzimeen was missing as well! But why did she feel so distinctly guilty about both? Camineesa was really her only responsibility, but as Jezzimeen was her spitting image, Lynn reasoned that she had a sort of obligation to the estranged twin, that nothing she did could shake loose. Not by biological ties, no, but she had failed another twin, long ago. And the pain of that lost bond haunted her still today.<br/>
Shortly after her parents had finalized their divorce, JaiLynn had found herself at the crossroads of the biggest decision thus far of her young, short life. Where would she live, and with whom would she reside? Either side would take the affront of siding with the enemy, but it was an inevitable wrong due to the split her parents had put the entire family through. Many nights, she would be awakened from dreamless sleep to hear enraged yelling floating upstairs from the deepest corner of her parent’s bedroom, a room where formally they had created life, enjoyed communion and mutual companionship. But lately, each night brought none of these memories to mind; instead, JaiLynn found herself covering herself to the neck with her comforters and quilts, cringing at each swear word, insult, and accusation. The worst aspect of these unintentionally overheard conversations, was that they were all rather one-sided! Her mother had physically kicked her father out months ago, but still every night since then, she had barraged him with hateful threats and underhanded maneuvers. Lynn was not aware of her father’s reactions or if his retorts were equally as vicious and hurtful, but she couldn’t help but commiserate with the silent half of these verbal torrents.<br/>
The decision was later made for her, however, when her twin sister had come over for her weekly visit. Jayleen was her senior by a mere four minutes, but they had always been completely inseparable. A sort of empathic connection existed between the girls from as early as JaiLynn could remember, so that when one twin was inconsolable, both were equally so. Many times each sister had voluntarily backed up her twin, sometimes physically, often literally, but most times verbally. Whether it was in school, against a boyfriend or enemy, or in cases pleaded to their parents, it had always been a kind of unspoken oath for them, that no matter what, your twin came first. In all things, Lynn thought to herself as she set about preparing for her necessary departure. If she was going to remedy her past mistakes, her actions must start today. And the only twins she had to left to support were that of her daughter, Camineesa and her estranged but biological twin, Jezzimeen. She just hoped she wasn’t to late, or that her efforts would not be in vain.<br/>
____________________________________________<br/>
Camineesa calculated that she had been held captive here in this pit stop of Hades for at least five or six days. She had barely eaten a thing, but she couldn’t very well place that fact on her captors. In the beginning, she had refused to eat on principle, a sort of strike, if you will, to show them just how abhorrent their actions seemed to her. To keep her shackled and deprived of sunlight or regular human contact was simply inhumane in her way of thinking! Then, as the days seemed to continuously drag on forever, she caved in to her own survivalist need for sustenance. If she was to be held here against her will, she might as well enjoy the small pleasures afforded her, for who only knew how long these kindnesses would last?!<br/>
To add to her already unfavorable circumstances, the voices were back. In this type of situation, she found greater difficulty than usual when attempting to tune-out or turn down the multitude of calamitous strains of life coursing through her ever refereeing mind. Still no one had come close to adapting manners or even some kind of pattern or rote of precedence. And she, having so much unaccountable time on her hands set about to doing just that. Her first order of business would be to shut down everything and everyone. This was her brain we’re talking about here! I am in control; so, now…let’s do roll-call, shall we everyone? I want names, and VERY brief description of your present plight and/or circumstances. There was nothing but shocked silence. After three or four full days of continuous yelling, nobody had anything left to say… Odd. Then, a small tentative clearing of a throat and, “Excuse me, miss? I’m not sure who you are, or where exactly we are communicating to you from, but I do know that I personally seem to be on repeat. An endless circuit of horror, as it were. My name is Mrs. Patrice Gowan, and I’m almost positively certain I’m dead, which begs the question again. Who exactly are you, and how can I be talking to you, you understand, because I’m…dead…? Not flippin’ cool, people! Oh no, she couldn’t just hear voices, well, thoughts of strangers to be precise; no, to complicate matters, she was now also in tune with the dead. Nice. May I inquire, Mrs. Gowan, exactly how and when you…um, died?<br/>
And so it continued much the same for the next few hours, as she was politely introduced to those individually, and extremely recently deceased voices that had now stopped and found relative order, amongst her thoughts. She kept asking herself, how is it that I can hear so many dead humans, but above ground I heard only live beings’ thoughts? She  must be near, or eww…under a mortuary or funeral home. It was the only feasible answer, “and if we were looking for logic in all this mess,” Camineesa thought, “I’m going with this one.”<br/>
A silent, unnoticed presence sat back quietly as he listened to the others speak of what had befallen them, when, where, how and such steadily growing more and more irritated that he couldn’t seem to make his mouth work! He finally had found some form of communication, a channel to the other side that he had so recently departed from, yet now, he had become mute. He had all the answers she had listed as a requirement for aid, but…maybe if he still had a body, no wait… That was it! A WHOLE body! He knew Mrs. Gowan, and why and how she came to be present in Camineesa Partler’s mind, he had been there! He had watched it take place! But his own circumstances had quite efficiently restricted him from aiding her deceased form as it was hijacked, ravaged, and illegally depleted. Unbeknownst to her surviving family, who awaited the autopsy reports upstairs, Mrs. Gowan had already been sent for cremation, sans any and all of her vital organs.<br/>
Impatiently, he continued his silent vigil; his whole body, he was relatively certain, had yet to be disposed of, but of course it had been excavated in a similar fashion to that of Mrs. Gowan, but he had felt too disgusted by these illicit doings, that he had purposefully spirited away. But to where? Where was his Cami being held? And WHY? She hadn’t in any way been involved in his secretive foray into the black marketable trade of organ harvesting that her oldest adoptive sibling had become so entrenched in. So why is she here? He thought to himself for what must have been the umpteenth time today; I have to find out what happened to my corpse. If it’s still in the morgue above us, then I should be able to figure out why I can’t communicate with Camineesa.<br/>
The minor snag of an extra disposal had yielded a rather convenient additional harvest to his roster; what concerned him about said snag was the insistence of the donor’s presence. Not only had the family of his original harvest, erhm, patient specifically requested an unbiased second observer in the autopsy room, that observer had turned out to be none other than the skinny neighborhood boy that he had dismissively recommended to join the candy-striper volunteering program at Gramercy Pristine Hospital over six months ago! Largely accustomed to an obstacle- and worry-free routine of selection, termination and then donation, this last hiccup did not at all sit well with Lawrence Partler, Dr. if you please.<br/>
Additionally, his harvest team had seemed uniquely put-off at this latest and unprepared for turn of events, so much as to cause palpable friction as the autopsies had commenced. He had longed to assure them that all was still well in hand, and not to concern themselves greatly at the additional donations; it was simply a task to which he must double his efforts to place those fresh and vital organs. However, at the precise moment the sutures had been tied off, and the members of the group tasked with clean-up had begun, Davi, his second-hand and in-command man, had abruptly vanished without so much as a “by your leave, Good Doctor,” and this had rather perturbed Lawrence a great deal. “Where could he be hurrying off to, and in such haste?” he wondered out loud. Not once registering the subversive glances exchanged between the other two members of his harvesting team, Dr. Partler set to completing the final transfer paperwork of both corpses. A shame, really; I’m sure young Jace would have been a fine intern, if not a surgeon like myself. He simply was too eager to interrupt the wrong man’s business!<br/>
Glancing down into the cavity Jace Jackson’s now inert, and (chuckling to himself at the irony of his little joke) eternally silent corpse, he commended himself on thinking to remove the young man’s teeth and tongue, completely rendering Mr. Jackson not only unable to communicate (were he to miraculously spring back to life) but also unidentifiable. Dr. Partler had immediately phoned ahead so that crematory could be made aware that there were in fact two bodies in need of disposal, and without teeth or fingerprints, Jace Jackson would easily be rendered a John Doe. A true crying shame, as they say.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“The whole world’s talking about it, Vance! Not only was she last seen here at this firm, she was a known employee, and therefore will be dually missed and investigated.  She’s your daughter, for Jim Bean’s sake! What do you propose we do to handle this? The press, media, they’re eating PJ&amp;A alive, Vance! We have to get in front of this, and we could start with you telling me why you pulled her into this in the first place. I’ve been with you in this scheme of yours since the beginning, but I am just now coming into the realization that no one means anything to you! You hold no loyalty for anyone, and therefore must feel no obligation to protect those closest to you. Where does that leave me, Partler? I’m just an associate, true, but I’m the only one you have in your corner right now, so I suggest you open up with some purpose, and clue me in, as to how you want this to play itself out. I’m still with you, as before, on the one condition that this scheme of yours does not topple all we’ve built; yes, Vance: WE. I’ve been in this deep from day one, and until your actions void that contingency, by your side is where I’ll stand.”<br/>
Vance Partler felt beaten and in desperate need of the Bean Dalma had mentioned. How did this happen? Shaking his head, he internally berated himself on his poor business choices, but foremost for allowing business and family to collide in such a catastrophic manner. Alfred Dalma, always the champion that admittedly had never strayed from the Partler corner, was of course perfectly and well within his rights to question his most recent actions. He had devastatingly misjudged (or perhaps purposefully underestimated) his daughter, Camineesa’s ambitious drive and enormous potential. She had been given the seemingly straightforward task of gathering evidence against the plaintiff in a pending suit in which the firm was defending itself. The proverbial shit has hit the fan, and if I don’t figure out a way to plug the blowhole, we are all up Crapper’s Creek with no toilet paper.<br/>
He had seen the news, as had the…world apparently if Alfred was to be believed. He hadn’t however received any requests for ransom, so had no idea where to start looking for his adoptive protégé, Camineesa. Granted, she had stumbled upon some rather unfortunate information, and had he been left to his own means, he would have similarly removed her from any and all equations that tied her, or his firm, to the illegal dealings he and his law partners had participated in for the past twenty or so years. It was also true that the “scheme,” for lack of a better term was in fact completely his brainchild, and as prosperous as it had become, it had apparently come on a tide of reckoning, with his brilliant daughter caught up in its turbulent surf.<br/>
Vance promised himself, and his prosperous law firm of loyal partners and associates, that if he managed to wiggle out of this last upset, and see his daughter returned home safely, he would forever leave behind his illegal, black market trade of fraudulent adoptions. No questions or conditions. As he sat down to relay an office-wide memo stating his future intentions, his office line rang. Where is that damn receptionist of mine?! “This is Vance Partler with Partler, Jackson &amp; Associates. How may we help you today?”<br/>
“First, let’s discuss young Camineesa Partler…” Vance froze; here it was, the call of demands. Contrary to what Alfred Dalma believed, there truly was not amount too high to have his only daughter returned to him, as soon as possible.<br/>
“Yes, of course, that is what is most prudent at the moment in my opinion. I assume you have her? Has she been hurt? Is she safe?” The voice on the phone sounded strongly Middle Eastern yet the man’s English was articulately cultured and refined. Could this be a terrorism thing? Maybe it has nothing whatsoever to do with the adoptions!<br/>
“Yes, yes, Mr. Partler; she is quite safe. I don’t believe I need to answer your first question, but will also refuse to inform you of the second. I have been made aware of a few things, Mr. Partler. Someone has been misbehaving, no? And for some time now. What do you say we discuss that as well? Are you free, or have I interrupted you at lunch or another obligation?”<br/>
“Now, yes, we can talk now. If you have her, and you say she’s safe, then she is undoubtedly unharmed. She is an unusually strong-willed and resilient young woman; she’s a survivor, I assure you. What is it that you think you know about me, sir? I am but a business man trying to maintain an affluent law practice.”<br/>
“Come now, Mr. Partler. You, as well as I, know that that is not entirely true. Honor amongst thieves, if you please, Mr. Partler. I understand that you are a very wealthy man, but money is not all that is required in this troubling transaction. You have more than one child, am I correct? A son as well, if I’m not mistaken?”<br/>
He did indeed know the Partler name, but how in-depth was his knowledge; how detailed were the man’s thus far unconfirmed perceptions? “You are correct, sir. I also have a son; he is an accomplished doctor at Gramercy Pristine. But… something tells me you already knew that. What exactly is this about? Out with it now! What could my son and daughter possibly have anything to do with in regards to my law firm’s practices or my money?”<br/>
“One child at a time, please Mr. Partler. So much to discuss, and just the right amount of…time, no? I have your daughter, but for reasons unknown to you, so we shall leave it as such until further notice, or whenever the appropriate time of revelation presents itself. Camineesa seems to be the only member of your family with integrity and familial loyalty, Mr. Partler. She has been raised well, I must commend you on her upbringing. Not all adopted children are so lucky, as you may know. But luck also has not really been in your stars of late, has it, Mr. Partler? I understand you were recently robbed of your precious and most valued possessions, well, in the material sense, of course. I hope you were insured, Mr. Partler. A man such as yourself must be careful with a home as elegant as yours.”<br/>
“It was you? You’re the one who broke into my home and ransacked my family’s private sanctuary?! The police are already looking for you, Mister…uh..? I didn’t quite catch your name. No matter, I know generally what you probably look like, and so you and whoever else you were seen leaving with will be brought up on charges immediately. Thank you for your unwise revelation, to use your words.” Ha! So the robber has gotten greedy, has he? Well, there was a definitive means to answer that threat, or request, however I may come about…<br/>
“I wish not to speak any further on your personal losses or your ongoing transgressions just now, Mr. Partler. I wish to educate on the actions of your son; how did you put it? Oh yes, the ‘accomplished doctor.’ Are you at all aware that he heads a harvest team? More specifically, Mr. Partler, your son maintains regular (and I stress this frequency, sir) ties of communication with an elite team of organ harvesters. Whether voluntarily or unwillingly, Dr. Lawrence Partler has indubitably amassed a large amount of dirty money from selling that which does not belong to him, and that of which he has no right to profit from. Forgive me, sir, of course you were aware. Two gentleman of the same ilk who boast the same surname must be aware of one another’s dealings.”<br/>
For a long moment, Vance was rocked to silence; that couldn’t be true, could it? How would Lawrence have come across such an immoral means of income, when he takes so much pride in his education and pedigree? No, it was absurd, to the utmost! Í assure you, whoever you are, that you are entirely mistaken. Dr. Partler is a well-renowned surgeon of the most impeccable decorum; it simply is not in his nature to deceive anyone in such a manner. Wherever you have acquired this false information, you should ask for your money back. Now, shall we return to the topic of my daughter, Camineesa?” The dial tone in his ear signaled to him that his anonymous informant had ended the call.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Trying her best to hide her fraying nerves of panic and anxiety, Captain Murphy did her best to close her open cases. She had yet to receive the results back from the forensic unit who had lifted prints and collected any evidence of a struggle where Camineesa Partler had last been seen. A body had been discovered prior to transfer, of a young man who she was most certain belonged to that of Jace Jackson, but as he had no priors, he was simply not in the system to compare prints or DNO to. A sure-fire back-up means of identification, dental records had also been rendered irretrievable, as the poor kid was found with no tongue… or teeth! Someone had went to extreme lengths to ensure that the boy could not be identified. And in Cpt. Murphy’s mind, only guilty people murdered (and then tortured) the innocent.<br/>
“Do we know what he was doing here? Down in autopsy, I mean? He was just a kid, Shank; a volunteer to boot! A Good Samaritan doing good things for dying people, and what does he get for it? He gets dead… I mean, he dies, gets killed, whatever!”<br/>
“You alright, Boss? You been all over the place lately. You not sleepin’ again? I’m just concerned about you is all. We all are; we heard how Chief sliced you open a new asshole, Captain. Hey, look, don’t listen to that crap about this all being your fault. We all draw short sticks, Boss. Yours just involved a kid. We’ll get this all straightened out, Boss. You know we got your back; always have, Captain.”</p><p>	“I haven’t seen him for a few days, dear. Why? What’s happened? Don’t you shake your head at me, Vance Partler; you have that pinched, constipated look on your face. Something’s wrong, more than what I already know, and you better tell me!” She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts while she caught her breath. Linn Partler had never felt so hollowed out as she felt, and had felt for the last week and a half. She had yet to locate either version of her daughter, and according to the news, the original twin had been captured and was being held captive by some unknown person, at some unknown location. For some unknown reason! Well, Lynn had some ideas in regards to that last; her husband was surely embroiled somehow in the whole mess, as his business ventures had always been shady and not a little underhanded. You’re bound to make enemies with that method of business.<br/>
“Would it have anything to do with Camineesa going missing? And if so, what is required, as I am most certain you have been contacted already, to have her returned to us, Vance?”<br/>
“How is it that you are the only person in this household that does not bring home a paycheck, regular or otherwise, but you seem to know what’s best in regards to all of us who do?” Her husband was reflecting, it was that simple. He always brought up the home life she had been forced to submit to all these years. Her job was merely to raise the children, and maintain the household. This meant anything involving the staff and servants, as well as the maintenance of the whole Partler estate, both within and without. Never mind that she had attained a degree in office management and administration before her lifelong commitment of marriage to Vance Partler had even presented itself as an opportunity! She could not begrudge her children their ambition or success, but she refused to stand for her keeper’s pompous self-appreciating selfish indulgence, that was forever flung up into her face in attempts to keep her quiet, mollified and submissive.<br/>
“Before we attempt that route again, Vance, maybe you’d like to explain to me why the Jackson’s have called here repeatedly, in search of their son, Jace? If you have no answer, dear, might I recommend that you keep any unnecessary opinions and irrelevant comments to yourself? Ignorance truly does not suit you, husband.” Secretly thrilled with herself, she quickly retreated to her boudoir, again thankful that Vance had insisted on separate bedrooms when he had built the colossal mansion that had been, to her, prison for too many years.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
What irked him most is that his lovely wife was completely correct, and nothing stings a man’s pride more than hearing his truth pour from his spouse’s mouth. How much more the bite if she were to know that I am not the only one of her family voluntarily putting themselves and this family at risk? He had been trying to reach his eldest son, Lawrence ever since he had received that unusual ransom call. Oddly, the caller had not mentioned any demands or specified any amount to return his only daughter back in to his fold. So what does that mean? She’s still alive, as best as I could distinguish from the conversation, but as Vance continued to ruminate on the situation, he came to a startling conclusion. What if the worst had finally happened? Shaking his head at the preposterousness of that line of thought, he turned again to his mobile, speed-dialing his son.<br/>
“Hello. This is Dr. Lawrence Partler. While I apologize for missing your call, I assure you that with your name, and the number at which you may be reached at, I will return your call at my earliest convenience. Thank you again for calling. Goodbye.”<br/>
“You had better call me back, Lawrence. This is your father; you know the number. Make this your only priority. Lives are at stake, so do not dally, son.” Hanging up, he thought again of the worst possible scenario, an unwelcome intruding visitor from the past that he had refused to acknowledge all these years, despite the circumstances, and the tenable bonds that had been forged from that far and gone decision those twenty-odd years ago…<br/>
“She had twins, sir. The parents are, until the girl turns eighteen, adamant about placing any and all newborns up for adoption. They further demand that she not be informed that she delivered two, let alone that they were, that is, are twins.”<br/>
“The agreement was for one child. On a trial basis only, no less. I can’t be expected to shoulder the burden of two unwanted waifs! When is she legal? Perhaps she will accede to only one adoption, and the issue will be moot.”<br/>
“Mr. Partler, I assure you: the client does not wish to burden anyone unduly. However, an agreement has been made, sir, and we expect you to uphold your responsibility. I shouldn’t have to remind you of the adverse results should you choose to renege on your obligations. I will only repeat that you are not the only person who will be…affected, should that be the route you choose to take. So. Do we have an understanding?”<br/>
“I will fulfill my obligation; but I will raise only one. As long as that is acceptable and clear, we may move forward with the necessary provisions previously discussed.” Turning, Vance looked in at the young woman who was unaware of the travesty into which she had just delivered two beautiful baby girls. He didn’t have time to tarry long, a suitable family must be selected from his ever-growing list of expectant, and paying, clients. Every one of them wanted a baby! But for this twin birth, it was extremely important to ensure that the remaining twin never be informed of the other. They must be separated immediately.<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
“Well, why not? I’m not recovered, Mom…Dad? They cut me open, remember? I think we can afford to spare a me a few extra days to recuperate, right? What do you mean the expense is not the issue? Sounds to me, like it is! I won’t! No, I’m not leaving this hospital until I am fully ready and fit to walk out of here on my own! No, you can’t make me! You know as well as I, that I turn eighteen in three days, so I will just see or speak to you then. You’re right, Mom; it’s NOT negotiable, I’m staying here! Yeah, well, just watch me!” Slamming the hospital phone down on the bedside table, she screamed close-mouthed so as not to alert any nurses or other medical staff that might have been walking past her partially-open door. They had managed to move her to a different room, one that looked less like a hospital room, and more like a birthing suite. There was a beautifully crafted wicker rocking chair in the corner, with a matching rocking footrest. Of course each of these suites (ha! She had totally called that one! One smart cookie, am I!) was furnished with a twin trundle-like bed for expectant fathers to catch up on the last uninterrupted sleep of their new lives as parents. The bathroom was complete with not only a shower and mechanical commode, but also a luxuriously relaxing Jacuzzi-style tub. Jayleen had utilized this amenity already on multiple occasions; it was pure heaven! But that all aside, she was being forced to give it up! All the luxury and pampering a young mother like herself could get used to in such a short time. All because her parents, well really her MOTHER, wanted her to give her baby up for adoption! They believed that if she came home before she turned eighteen, she wouldn’t have a say-so in the outcome of her delivery, but she had news for them! She had already picked out a name and everything! Now all she had to do was ask for the paperwork, and wait out the next three days. No sweat!<br/>
She wondered where her sister, JaiLynn was through all this mess? She should’ve come just because she’s my twin, Jayleen thought petulantly. And put all this nonsense about right and wrong, taking sides and all, behind us! There’s a baby to love! Jayleen just knew once Lynn saw her new niece, nothing else would matter. It would all be made right, if only she’d visit me!<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
She was so exhausted from the constant deliberating and deciphering of the emotions, aches and pains, and let’s face it, voices! Jezzimeen, aka Camineesa Partler (ha, hah! Ain’t this some irony for my dumb ass!), had finally managed to compose a logical, if somewhat messy, list of demands, feelings and thoughts into a semblance of order with which she could begin to address. As if feeling every-damn-body’s heartbreak and angst wasn’t enough, she had discovered yet another “perk” of her newest, unwanted abilities: she heard voices, duh, that’s what got me into this mess! Only now she heard dead people. Fun, fun, funny, fun, fun!<br/>
Long dead, lest you confuse this with the violently removed or otherwise recently deceased dead that her debutante twin, Camineesa presently counseled. Unwilling, I might add, Jezz thought bitterly. What she despised most today, oh because yesterday was so different! Not! The point that not only was she the only twin aware that she was in fact one half of the Doublemint gum-by mess of this twin sisterhood; as the empath portion of said duo, she felt her sister’s pain and fear, at all times, and any level. Voices would keep a normal “crazy” person up all-night, no question, but to know that your twin was not only being held captive, but that you were powerless to save her (had she wanted to, of course…), simply for the dumb-ass luck of looking like the kidnapped version of yourself. Is that not confusing?<br/>
Jezzimeen knew that in order to free anyone from their imaginary, misguided or physical bonds of restraint, she had to get the fuck out of here! Camineesa was below a morgue, wow, that’s gross. And she was constantly being bombarded with queries of how? why me? where am I? And Jezz couldn’t exactly speak for her twin, but she could most definitely empathize with her… ONLY because, you know, I’m an empath. Not because she matters to me, come one, REALLY! There were, however, emotions that she had been completely unprepared for, facts that she was not ready to accept. She did care about the Debby! That pissed her off to no extreme! Camineesa wasn’t eating; she was the twin who needed human companionship. Jezz could feel this need slowly ebbing and then blooming again every time the voices around her grew silent each night. If she herself had not been incarcerated with ancient, dead crazies she didn’t know for certain she would have had the strength to endure what Camineesa felt.<br/>
Alone, cold, selfishly hungry (I mean, really girl; eat the damn food!), and yet not afraid. Jezz had not felt her sister’s fear, not even once. Apparently she was also the twin that turned any modicum of fear into anger! And boy was she a feisty bitch! Catching herself chuckling at her own inner amusements, she wondered about Camineesa’s powers. If she could hear voices of the dead, could she, like Linn Partler had intimated, hear or communicate telepathically with the living? Hmm, yet another thing to look into whenever I find the crazy wench!<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Jace never knew ghosts could sweat! A lot, too! He had spent the better portion of the last day and a half trying to get Camineesa’s attention. Without teeth and a tongue (who’s idea was that, by the way? Gonna fuck that person up, I swear…just as soon as I figure out how.), Jace found he was unable to communicate with his fellow dead, or the beautiful but captured. Camineesa stunk though, yep, she was still really pretty, but no one had offered the poor girl a bath in DAYS, and it was blatantly obvious. So I can smell, but I can’t taste, or touch…Who wouldn’t want to be a ghost?! Just then, something bumped him from behind. Wait he could feel that! Hopeful, he turned and saw his salvation. A sheet, a dirty one, but in one whole piece, lying on a shelf of rocks and immovable boulders. Slowly, as he approached it, he began to smell something familiar, something whimsical and feminine. Lavender? He knew the result of his next action would most likely return fruitless, but as a ghost, he didn’t really have any pressing alternatives aside from the banality of trial and error.<br/>
Then, he grasped it. Bewildered, he began to inch it closer to his nose, closing his eyes, he inhaled the comforting scent of lavender and lilacs.<br/>
“Son, this is your father again. I’ve been trying to reach you now for many days. I don’t understand why you haven’t returned any of my calls! Your sister has been abducted, your mother is an absolute wreck, and well, so am I. She was last seen leaving the firm, and yet you have not deemed this important enough to return home, where your family needs you most. To say I am rather disappointed, is a gross understatement, Lawrence. Time is of course, of the essence, and there are other things you and I must discuss at length IMMEDIATELY, son. Please, come home. We need you, son.” Sighing again as he pushed the “7” on his phone, Lawrence Partler knew what was on his father’s mind. The day after the unfortunate, young Mr. Jace Jackson’s demise (and therefore, unwilling donation) he had been unhurriedly walking toward his car when a woman emerged from behind a column in the hospital’s attached parking garage.<br/>
“A moment of your time, if you please, Doctor. I’m sure you don’t know me; I’m Captain Jayleen Murphy with the Lauder County Sheriffs Department. Is this your vehicle?” She looked strangely familiar; her brown hair was nondescript, but her face reminded him of someone, but he just could not place who. A female Captain? This didn’t look too promising.<br/>
“Yes, of course, officer, but I am very busy this afternoon, perhaps we can schedule a more opportune time when I can sit down discuss anything with you in detail. Now I really must be getting on my way. Excuse me, ma’am, but unless you mean to arrest me, I will ask once only that you remove yourself and person from my vehicle and path of travel.” She simply stood there, seeming to weigh his words and reactions to her presence as if his time was her last priority.<br/>
“I’m sorry, Dr. Lawrence, but I can’t do that. No, I have no cause to arrest you, unless there is something you’d like to share with me? No, well then, this will only take a moment, and then you can very well be on your way, alright?”<br/>
Sensing that there was no alternative to this intrusion, he calmly set down his briefcase and coat, and leaned on the trunk of his car. “Proceed, ma’am.”<br/>
“I’m a captain, sir. You are a doctor, and so I have addressed you as such; I simply ask that you afford me the same level respect and courtesy I have shown you. Are we clear?” Noting his assent, she continued. “Now, it has recently been brought to our attention that you are a very, how shall I put this, productive physician, in that your patients die with dignity and haste. I commend you on the dignity and am rather curious as to why, of all the doctors employed here at Gramercy Pristine, you seem to be the only one with a full-time revolving door of patients on your roster. Surely not every ill person that you meet is so close to their end? Could you perhaps enlighten me as to this peculiar coincidence?”<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
Not a little miffed, Carrie Jackson boarded her plane that would take her back Glamour Heights of Lauder County, Florida still reeling from the incomprehensible silence of her so-called best friend. Camineesa had been so terribly upset about her touring abroad, that she had actually suggested that Carrie allow her to be her own personal stowaway! But for the last four or five weeks, she had not spoken to Camineesa Partler even once! So a bone or two to pick, you just wait, girlie!<br/>
A short flight later, she tried again, unsuccessfully to get Cami on the phone. And where was little brother? How did those two expect her to get home without either of them showing up to lend her a ride?! After locating all nine pieces of her Louis Vuitton designer luggage, Carrie called the Jackson residence, and reaching the housekeeper, instructed her to dispatch the family’s driver as soon as possible. Impatiently tapping her foot as she waited curbside, she had to trust that Camineesa had a legitimate reason for not contacting her in over a month, because if she didn’t… Well, where’s the damn driver?!<br/>
When she finally made it back home, Carrie dropped her bags, leaving the housekeeper to sort out where and with whom her laundry and recently acquired couture would be sent. She had a best friend to track down! As she knocked on the Partler’s front door, she glanced quickly through the triple-car garage, and effusing a haughty huff, she made a mental note that not only was Cami’s car here, it was parked inside the carport! Which meant Cami hadn’t used it in at least 24-hours. Oooh, woman, you are so getting reamed for this! Stamping her foot in frustration, she rang the doorbell and began ferociously pounding on the stained glass, beveled windows situated on either side of the solid mahogany oak door.<br/>
“Until right now, nobody has been home for hours,” spoke a silky, quiet male voice. Turning with hiss and spit in mind for the Partler member that was obviously lying, she forced herself to swallow timidly at the stunning and greatly missed vision standing behind her.<br/>
“Jamison! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to attack your house, but I haven’t heard from Camineesa in, like thirty days! Perhaps you could clue me in here? Where’s my BFF?!?” Something sunk hard and fast in Carrie’s stomach when she saw Jamison’s eyes flit away and then down to the ground. “What is it? What don’t I know? Tell me, Jamie; speak, damn you!”<br/>
“I have two answers for you, Carrie. But I’m pretty positive that you’re not going to like either of them.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Ok, did that sheet just move? No, Cam, it’s pitch dark in here, and the voices of the dead have bombarded you into a hallucinatory state! Sit still, be quiet. She had a plan, sure she did, but it hung greatly on the presence of her captors, and she wasn’t that hopeful about their willingness to cooperate. “Would it be too much to ask for some light, water and/or (although I’m severely stressing the “AND”!) soap? What’s a lady have to do to get one measly bath around here?” She was pretty sure that whoever her captors were, either wore heavy-duty gas masks, or had some form of impenetrable insulation blocking the horrendous stench that was her shame. It still baffled her at the length of time she had been kept here! Had they made contact with her father? Her family surely had begun to demand some kind of answers; so what was taking so long?<br/>
She had long stopped asking herself why she had been selected for such an honor as being kidnapped immediately after being fired from her first paying job before graduating with her law degree. Should she have refused to leave when asked? Caused a commotion maybe? Wouldn’t that have waylaid the bad guys from their insidious plan of capture and ransom? And what was she worth? Unfortunately, she had no idea what she was worth to Mr. Partler, but then again she hadn’t completely convinced herself yet that Mr. C wasn’t in some way tied in to all this! Ok, that sheet definitely moved. *Sniffs* what’s that smell? Oh, pretty! Flowers, *sniffs again* hmmm…. At the very least she could rub herself down with that floating sheet…<br/>
When she reached for the lavender-scented bedding, it seemed to jerk back and away from her. “Ok, that’s freaky! Hey, little sheet, sheet! You smell better than me, and I want you. Come ‘ere…” Suddenly, the sheet snapped taut and she swore she could see the outline of a face, and yep, those were definitely fingers gripping the corners! “Ok, I am officially freaked out! And to whoever you are there, holding that sheet thingy, better know this: I get pissed when I’m freaked out, just sayin’. So let’s see some identification, please!”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
She was kidding, right? Just when I have finally managed to pick this blasted, yummy-smelling bed sheet up, she wants identification? What am I supposed to do now? The question was legitimate, as Jace…well, he was a GHOST! One minus a tongue and teeth, mind you. Ghosts don’t have blood, or spit, hell or even tears! Communicating with a beautiful woman should never be this difficult!<br/>
Just then, footsteps sounded on the ceiling over their heads. Whisking his only means of contact away and out of sight, Jace instinctually moved to cower behind the murmuring masses of the recently dead. Wait, no one can see me, any of us actually, so what the heck am I doing? Like, who are we hiding from? And it’s not like she can hear me in particular, but I need to hear what’s coming, so move people, get out of my way! It was fun watching the see-through mob disperse to both sides of him as he shoved his silent way to the front of the gathering. Hey, wait! I know that guy! He was there at the illegal organ harvest, looking towards the victim in question, he searched for Mrs. Gowan, and locating her squinted his eyes to slits. Boy, are these punks gonna pay!<br/>
The tallest of the men he had seen in the autopsy room nonchalantly made his way down into Camineesa’s putrid dungeon, scoffing and making a show of gagging at the smell. “Well, my dear, it seems you’ve made quite a mess of yourself. Have you refused to bathe as well?<br/>
“I don’t know who you are, pal, but your little buddies here have never so much as spit in my direction from the moment I got put in this dump, so pray tell, how would I be able to bathe? I didn’t find the invisible shower stall, towel and soap, sorry.” Jace chuckled to himself, she always had a feisty sense of humor, especially when she’s mad.<br/>
“Pardon me? When was the last time this woman was given time for the hygiene? How do you expect her to clean herself without soap and water, you imbecile?! Now, move! The hotter, the better! Madam, I am deeply ashamed; please accept my humblest apologies on behalf of my feeble-minded compatriots.”<br/>
“No apology from you makes a sniff of difference to me, GUY! Just who the he…who in Hades are you, anyway? And why am I still here, haven’t you made a demand for ransom for my safe return? Or is this about something of which I’m not aware or otherwise involved in?”<br/>
“Yes, my sweet Camineesa. There are things of which you know nothing about, and still other things that even more, unfortunately, do not involve you at all. But those who are culpable in these negotiations are very close to you, and some related.”<br/>
“Ha! Shows how much you know, GUY! I have no biological relations! I’m adopted, ToTo! But you just wait until my father hears about this, no bath in weeks, crappy food I wouldn’t feed a stray dog, outrageous really; truth be told!” With a dismissive flip of her greasy, infested ponytail she turned to stare at the wall where the floating sheet had come to rest.<br/>
“Ah, yes Camineesa, your father is a wonderful provider, no? But were you to discover the means of that unending fount of prosperity frothed from illegal trade and fraud, would you be so insolent, do you think? How close are you to your….brother, Lawrence? A doctor, no? He is quite a secretive gentleman as well, as you will soon discover.”<br/>
I knew it! That blasted pompous twit! My gorgeous goddess, you are stronger than you know, and loved even more so! Jace respectfully turned away as Camineesa was unshackled and led towards a mobile shower unit to bath for the first time in weeks. While she refreshed herself in the steaming bathwater, he silently posed a question to her captors, what about the smell? Not even a pot to piss in?! Strong and sexy, well now both are true. She’ll always be sexy, but I’m really glad she’s finally washing that rat’s nest on her head!<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
“Sir, the phone is for you. I believe it’s your brother, Lawrence, but I can’t be sure; the man sounds very anxious and agitated. Shall I transfer the call to your office, sir?” Nodding in the affirmative, Jamison Partler walked towards his office desk and, picking up the trilling phone, braced himself for what was surely to be another “good-natured, brotherly” sermon from his oldest sibling, on the failings of his current career and how Lawrence would improve said lot.<br/>
“This is Jamison Partler. Lawrence, is that you? Look, I’m kind of busy right now, what with the primary just around the corner; you might remember that I’m looking to be nominated this year to run for office?”<br/>
“Yes, ssh all that, brother. It is Lawrence, yes, I do remember, and while I anticipate your obvious and inevitable failure in that endeavor, I did not call to discuss such matters as that with you. I seem to have placed myself into a bit of trouble, Jamison. Now when I tell you where I am, I simply need you to come get me, and have the whole mess straightened out, so that I may go home and remove all reminders of this day’s irritating events.”<br/>
“Of course, Lawrence, you know that I am always available to aid you in whatever legal matters you may have stumbled into. I assume that is the case here, so ignoring the snide remarks on my future ventures, I’m all ears. Pray tell, where could you be so late this afternoon other than making rounds at the hospital?”<br/>
“Of course, yes, uh…. Jamison, I have been arrested… and by a female officer, to degrade matters further. It is truly insulting. There I was, walking to my car, after a tiring day of saving lives, and this woman springs forth from behind a column in the carport! Would you PLEASE come up here, to the Lauder County Sheriffs Department, and explain to these moronic civil servants exactly who I am; what’s more ,who our father is? I’ve already stated for their benefit, that they should all anticipate a lengthy and frighteningly expensive legal suit once I am again a free man. Obviously, you are my one and only phone call. I see no reason in informing Mother or Father about this small misunderstanding. Please, for glory’s sake, Jamison, come quickly!”<br/>
Before he could formulate any kind of response, Jamison heard the dial tone; his criminal offending sibling had ended his tirade, and simply hung up on him. Well, what did you expect, he said the only please he’s ever going to say in this whole situation. Best get a move on,” Jamison thought begrudgingly, “no telling how long he’s been there, and what sort of trouble he’s given the police!” Driving through the shimmering hills of Glamour Heights, pointing his much-envied Escalade downtown, Jamison wondered what the county Sheriffs department could possibly have with which to hold his brother, a self-proclaimed, yet well-renowned life-saving surgeon and physician.<br/>
Parking and locking his most-prized possession, that because he had purchased it completely with his own earnings, and owed no one for a loan or monthly-accruing interest for payments. His creamy, pearlized baby was paid in full! All mine until the end of time! He was so engrossed on mentally patting himself on the back, that he almost missed the noticeboard completely. To a random passerby, the picture would have left no bearing on the memory, but seeing as the picture was of what looked to be his very own sister, he caught himself making a double-take at the DO YOU KNOW THIS PERSON? section in the sheltered shack of announcements. A list of “J. Doe’s” included an unfamiliar shot of a girl with a striking resemblance to Camineesa. While the girl was dressed in his sister’s clothing, something in the hard, unforgiving glint in her eyes intimated that this female was NOT the same person he sat down to dinner with week. Or was it? The past two months had seen Camineesa more and more affectionate and frankly outright flirtatious whenever she came around himself or Lawrence. It had been decided when they were children, that although they shared no biology or DNA, it was simply unwise to entertain anything more than brotherly affection for their sister. Otherwise Lawrence would more than likely have claimed her as his possession long ago.<br/>
Name: Jane Doe #5<br/>
Age: 23<br/>
Skin, Eyes, Hair: African American, brown, dark brown<br/>
Found: Outside, sidewalk; by law enforcement<br/>
Present location: Birthsome Bridler Sanitarium (BBS)<br/>
The longer Jamison peered at the snapshot of the obviously irritated Jane Doe #5, the more certain he became that something was amiss. And seeing as he was considered the mediator of the bunch, it would fall to him to root out the origin and/or truth of this bizarre discovery.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“Alright, Murphy, I’m going to give you small kudos on that arrest this afternoon. I’m headed off to head-up the security detail for tonight’s debate at City Hall, but before I go, swing it by me once more; just how did you tie the Jackson death with the good doctor?” Grateful for some long-in-coming, but greatly deserved acknowledgement of her skills as a detective. Fifteen years is a long time to go unnoticed or appreciated, but putting these misgivings aside, she again launched into her recap of the afternoon’s bust.<br/>
“Well, Chief, obviously it was very unexpected, and while we were prepared for any and all eventualities, we knew that things could turn dicey in a split second. Dr. Partler had finished an uneventful day of rounds, four surgeries, and oversaw three separate procedures. Paramedics classify all traumas during transit, so that when they arrive the patient may be handed off accordingly. It seems Dr. Partler is always at hand, or otherwise makes himself available whenever a “fresh one” comes in to the emergency room, bearing the classification of “LIKELY.” That means the patient will most likely die. Now, whether or not the person has registered as an organ donor, miraculously, each and every “LIKELY” is found with organ transfer paperwork completed and waiting appointment of autopsy.”<br/>
Captain Jayleen Murphy drew in a deep breath as she prepared to launch into the coup de grace of her investigation, the black market trade of organ harvesting. “An anonymous tip led my team to monitor the erratic schedule and volume of autopsies performed at Gramercy Pristine Hospital. What we found was that a Dr. Lawrence Partler was a constant fixture in each procedure, even when he was not the physician on hand when the deceased passed. We also discovered that his “flawless” record seems to be based on his uncanny ability to “sense” when a person was either terminally ill or nearing their end. However, even the terminally ill have families, and one such family has recently arrived in the area. Although they unfortunately arrived too late to say goodbye to their loved one, the family was able to question the state of the patient’s medical status. The patient in this case is Mrs. Patrice Gowan, aged 83 at the time of her death, and was classified terminal a little over two months ago.” Looking down at her team’s gathered notes and reports, she continued. “It looks like the family, specifically three adult children (one daughter, two sons) have consulted their mother’s attorney because there were some questions to whether or not Mrs. Gowan was a registered (and therefore willing) organ donor. As it turns out, sir, she is not. When my team interviewed the surviving family members of the deceased, we were told that after meeting with her attorney, Mrs. Gowan’s children requested an, again I quote here, sir, “unbiased observer” to be present during the autopsy procedure.”<br/>
“As I understand it, Murphy, but please correct any errors, that appointed observer was none other than the Jackson kid, uh…Jace, right? And when he introduced himself to the harvest doctor, really like, pushing his way in, it sounds like, that’s where we get two dead bodies, both empty. Have I got that all right?”<br/>
“Right entirely, sir. We have secured both depleted corpses, the Gowan family has been made aware of the situation, and we are still tracking down all of the transfer paperwork that was sent with each harvested organ. Um, sir, there’s one more thing. Jace Jackson’s body was recovered without his tongue or teeth. That is to say, while we are almost completely certain that it is who we think it is, there has been no family confirmation. We haven’t been able to reach any biological relations: the father, as you mentioned before, is in some form or fashion in league with Vance Partler. The mother is unaccounted for, and the sister is apparently abroad on a tour of Europe. To have so much money you can tour the world every year, sir; classy, no?”<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
“Mr. Partler, this is Andrew Christie; he is the gentleman we spoke of in regards to the remaining twin. That is, if you have, er… selected one of them? Mr. Partler here is already a largely known and duly registered foster parent, and while the logistics of the adoptions are still uncertain, rest assured that both twins will be properly recorded and documented as abandoned orphans, so there will never be a need to search for the biological parents, at any time in the foreseeable future.”<br/>
All seemed to be in order, so Vance set off towards the nursery, ignoring the incessant vibrations in his pants pocket. Just before he spotted the viewing window, he was jostled by an oblivious and hurried form rushing away in the opposite direction. “Hey! Didn’t anyone ever teach you any manners? Like, “excuse me,” or “sorry” even?” The form stopped and turned around to face him. It was a young woman, probably still a teenager actually, and she enchanted him from the moment she lifted her purple-hued eyes to him, the apology he had mentioned clearly written on her frowning, tear-stained face.<br/>
“Yes, sir, I am so sorry! I’m not supposed to be here, and I’m trying to find the way out. I just came by to see the babies. I love babies; my sister is having one, I think. I haven’t located her yet, but then again she probably prefers it that way. When I found out she was pregnant, I applied for a candy-striper job here, so that I could maybe see her and her baby when she delivered. I…” Hopeful, lost, watery eyes seemed to beseech Vance to understand her plight, to find some way to ease her distraught nerves. But he was just an intern himself! How could he be expected to initiate any form of reunion, as that is what it seemed this young woman was in need of, with an estranged sibling?<br/>
“It’s perfectly fine, Miss. I should have been more aware of my surroundings. Two opposing forces cause friction, you know. I was just going in myself to see my baby. Would you like to come in with me? I’m, well obviously, a new father. You should probably show me how to hold a little body, I’m sure to drop it otherwise. I didn’t get your name…? My name’s Mr. Partler, um, Vance Partler.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
She felt herself being first lifted and then carried, through multiple doorways with lights flashing in front of her closed eyes. Recognizing a soft swishing, crinkly sound towards her bare feet, she concluded that she was again being transplanted to a new hospital room. She only hoped it was nicer, and perhaps even bigger than the last.<br/>
As she struggled again and again to open her eyes, the feeling of movement ended abruptly, as she seemed to float down and land on a thick padded platform. Panic flooded her as she realized why she couldn’t bat an eye, her eyes had been surgically sealed shut. When she opened her mouth to scream out for help, she found she had no memory of language or speech. She sensed her surroundings were not that of the hospital suite she had so recently lain in, but instead a muted, eerily quiet ambiance echoed in her ears. When the first strap was affixed to her ankle, she jolted, instinct pulling all of her remaining limbs into a fetal position.<br/>
“Quick, you three grab a limb; I think she’s awake now. We need to get her pinned down before the seals over her eyes break.” She instantly remembered how to scream, only no sound formed. While her torso twitched with abandon, she tried to escape the invisible grasping hands but three attackers against a mute and blind scared young woman, well, it was no contest; she knew she was in trouble. What scared her most, after she was fully bound to the iron head and baseboards, was what she might expect to encounter when “the seals” broke. Would she be able to see? And what would she see? But most importantly, where am I and why have I been put here?<br/>
Davi Christie had met the sexiest and smartest girl of his dreams! She didn’t seem to care that he didn’t have as much money as her family did, or that his clothes were obviously second-hand hand-me-downs that his mother had scrimped and saved for each year to buy from the neighborhood Goodwill. Maybe it was because his parents were still very much in love, and had been married now for over twenty-five years. He hated the pain he always registered in her defiant voice as she told him about her latest run-in with her mom. You would think it was her step-mom, the way she talks about the lady! She had decided to live with her dad, which Davi thought was so cool, because Mr. Murphy was a real chill dad. Davi remembered when she had told him about a conversation her dad had forced upon her not too long ago; Mr. Murphy had revealed that he was fully aware of the fact that she was no innocent virgin anymore. Instead of blowing things all out of proportion like he assumed her mom would have done, her dad had taken her across the street to the local Planned Parenthood just to put her on birth control!<br/>
Graduating a year before his girlfriend, he spent most of his days shoplifting or scoping out future marks for whenever he got his own lift team together. Evil with a knife, Davi enjoyed the shot of adrenaline that coursed through his veins whenever he escaped capture, or when he got his hands on a really expensive item. Mostly he waited awhile to sell whatever he stole, but lately, since meeting her, he had diligently focused on the items that he could bestow upon her, but it seemed she was never as happy with his gifts, as she was with his affection. It was the first time Davi had experienced such a mutually devastating need to be near another person. When they made love, she clung to him; when they kissed, she cried. Never having been in love before this, he had nothing to which to compare it to, but he knew. Davi knew this was real, and if she let him, he’d love her forever.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
He was perhaps the most handsome man she’d ever seen, and she prided herself on the amount of men that she had met that fell into that category. Because the list was very short; unlike him. He had towered over when they first met outside the hospital’s nursery window, and she had found herself leaning towards him as they cooed and commented on all of the multi-toned infants either asleep in their bassinets, feeding or just simply screaming their heads off. Well, those babies hadn’t seemed so adorable, but none screamed for too long because a nurse or attendant would come to soothe and care for them.<br/>
Vance, what a wonderfully strong and debonair name! She suddenly remembered that he had a special purpose for being there, and still looking at the sea of babies, she asked him which one was his. “Well, you know, I’m not sure; is that bad? Come with me? I should explain, I’m adopting, I’m not actually a biological father…not yet,” he said slyly flicking his glance in her direction. JaiLynn felt a thousand tiny butterflies take flight in her stomach, and feeling her face warm at the direction his insinuation had taken her thoughts, she smiled, shyly shaking her head. It was adorable, actually. And how amazing for this stranger to be adopting another? A strange baby that he wants to love unconditionally for the rest of its life. He’s absolutely marvelous! As they neared the section he had indicated, she informed him that in fact the babies in that section were all sets of twins or other multiple births.<br/>
“That is actually the crux of my problem. I have been allowed to choose a twin, very recently delivered, and I am at a total loss as to how to begin that selection process. I know only that the twin I choose is female and brown…much like you.” Again blushing warmth crept up her neck and dampened her upper lip with anticipation and delight. Was he really flirting with her while he picked out a baby? If it wasn’t so adorable, it would be really offensive, I think. Slimming down the options according to the criteria he had just oddly supplied, they came to sleeping duo who had been placed in the same double-wide bassinet. The tiny cherubs had found each other’s hand, the two chubby pinky fingers intertwined. Just as she thought to ask him how he proposed separating the two obviously already-close twin girls, the twin on the left turned her face away from her sister, letting go of her promise.<br/>
“It seems biology has decided for me in this. These charts state that the one there on the right, she’s younger by mere minutes. To me, that means she’s more vulnerable, and if her twin there is any indication, she agrees. Really, doesn’t it seem as if she turned away to show she was capable of handling things on her own? It’s probably best that I take my daughter home now; the longer they are permitted to be so close to one another, the harder it might become for me to follow through in my role as the first, I’m sure, of many men to rend them apart. So, I will say to you, my beautiful, silent, new acquaintance, Adieu. I hope for a chance, however, to see you again and preferably soon, Miss Murphy. Good day to you.” As the man walked farther and farther away from her, something tugged in her chest, and JaiLynn Murphy could’ve sworn she heard music.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Coming home to any empty house had not only become really depressing, but each time it reinforced the underlying reason she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her younger brother or her best friend. Three days ago, she had received an emergency call from Gramercy Pristine, demanding her or another Jackson relation to come for the worst sort of confirmation. A body had been recovered and due to terribly unusual circumstances, they had thus far been unable to ascertain that the body was in fact that of her younger brother, Jace. She never imagined that one day she would have to look at her baby brother’s expressionless face, and say goodbye.<br/>
Where are my parents in all of this? I shouldn’t be the one here waiting to view a body, with all hopes in my heart praying that there was a mistake, Jace is alive…somewhere, but not dead! Carrie knew that her brother had been accepted into the hospital’s sponsorship program at the end of his last year of high school, and she especially remembered how proud he was that he had secured his sponsorship after receiving a glowing recommendation from Gramercy Pristine’s most esteemed surgeons, Dr. Lawrence Partler. Lawrence was her best friend, Camineesa’s older brother, and he had always been the best of everything. First in his class in high school and college, and without the expected lapse in schooling, had bulldozed through medical school setting and even breaking all kinds of records in proficiency and excellency. It’s really hard to like a guy like Lawrence, because while he’s an amazing surgeon, he unfortunately knows it!<br/>
“Miss. Carrie Jackson? If you’ll follow me, the viewing will be right through this way. I must say, ma’am, I’m so terribly sorry about your loss. Jace was a great guy, always so helpful and wanting to learn as much as he could each day. We really do miss him around here…” The attendant left her just outside the autopsy room where potentially the corpse of her only sibling would be revealed for her to identify. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she practically collapsed into Cami’s youngest brother’s arms. Jamison had been with her since she arrived home to any empty house, and missing best friend. She cringed when she thought of how irrelevant the former had been to her in comparison to the friendship she had shared with Camineesa Partler. Since grade school the two girls had been inseparable, and when one hurt, the other was already at hand to offer comfort and support.<br/>
She had loved her younger brother since he was born, yet when she had not seen or heard from him in the same length of time as that of Cami, she had made no further inquiry. Instead, when she had received the call that Jace had been found, she had been mildly indifferent. So much so that her cell phone cracked when she absently dropped it, after hearing the news that Jace’s body was at the hospital morgue. It had not registered until last night, when she had called Jamison for some company and he had come bearing the gruesome reality of the state of her brother’s untimely demise.<br/>
Returning to the task at hand, she clung to Jamison, who’s arms were wound around her waist in a much-needed effort to keep her standing. The morgue attendants donned sterile gloves and looking towards the two of them to see that she was ready to view, slowly and gravely lowered the sheet to the shoulders. Leaning over the table, ignoring the smell of the dead, she peered down into Jace’s face. It was him; she would have spotted him anywhere, even without his presently missing teeth. His face seemed hollowed and his skin was so pale. Without taking her eyes off of him, she nodded slightly to affirm the identity. “I am so sorry, Miss. Jackson, but we require a verbal confirmation, so that it may be recorded on video.”<br/>
Wiping away the fallen tears that had splashed upon his face, lower lip trembling, she again shook her head in the affirmative as her voice rasped, “It’s him. That’s my brother, Jace. And yes, I’m sure.” Grateful to feel the heat emanating from Jamison’s solid build, his breath warm in her ear, Carrie allowed herself to collapse into the first faint of her life.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“I don’t know where you’ve been, Lawrence, but we have a great deal to discuss. Jamison, if you would please leave us, we will rejoin you shortly.”<br/>
“Actually, Father, I wish for Jamison to stay, as witness, and as my attorney. Jamison, please sit. I was hoping that this was behind me, and that we could continue on with our lives, but I see from our father’s expression, that is not to be. Father, I will gladly hear what you have to say, and then Jamison will fill you in on the remaining details, should we discover holes in the timeline.”<br/>
“As you wish. Lawrence, I have received some very troubling news concerning your, how do you say, extracurricular activities at the hospital. I assured the source that what he claimed was absurd and impossibly untrue. But for the sake of honor, son, tell me: are you in any way affiliated on or with the black market trade of organ harvesting?” The two brothers exchanged looks of chagrin and trepidation before Jamison took the floor.<br/>
“Father, Lawrence and I have just returned home from the county sheriff’s department. It seems that our Lawrence here,” indicating his older brother with a one-sided grin, “has indeed come under some suspicion of illegal organ harvesting within the morgue walls of Gramercy Pristine. I have spoken to the arresting officer, a female captain, I believe her name is Murphy. She arrested him on suspicion of Kevorkian practices and illegal organ harvesting, to be precise.” Ignoring his brother’s ungentlemanly snort at the mention of Captain Murphy’s gender, he did notice how his father’s face slowly drained of color.<br/>
The name Murphy had triggered an interesting response from the Partler patriarch, and Jamison was determined to find out why. Jamison turned back to his brother to see if he had noticed the not-so-subtle change in their father’s demeanor, and asked off-handedly, “Now, is there anything else either of you would like to share? If all is stated here, while we are secluded minus the womenfolk, I can begin to formulate any plan of actions that should be taken to resolve these legal matters.” Snapping his gaze back towards his father, he glimpsed a severe tic, and reminded himself that only a fool defends family.</p><p>	“Yes sir, she continues to deny her true identity; she claims she is a woman named Jezzimeen Partler, but as you can see, she is the spitting image of the photos on her credit and bank cards. Perhaps if you went in to see her, the visit might trigger her long-term memory.” As Jamison walked past the psychiatrist, he knew for certain that no long- or short-term memory existed for Jane Doe #5, that included him as her youngest sibling. Time to meet the stranger with the familiar face. “She’s there, young sir, in room 2020. The patients are recently returned to their rooms from breakfast and morning activities. However, she won’t be expecting you. She has been informed that she is to have no visitors until she is ready to accept her true identity. But, today will obviously achieve that end. Please sign out before you leave the premises, sir. Good day to you, Mr. Jamison.”<br/>
Knocking on the assigned door and finding it slightly ajar, he gently and quietly stepped in to the room. Looking around him, he was shocked to find no carpet or rug on the floor and no windows, mirrors or picture frames on any of the walls. The stereotypical white walls were void of any decoration, and the cold concrete floor below his feet felt rather hard and unforgiving. Moreover, the only piece of furniture, an iron frame single-width bed, was nailed into the asphalt ground! “Home sweet home, no, dear brother? Of course you surely are aware by now, that I am not your sister, so to speak. Additionally though, sweet Jamison, I do look an awful lot like your precious Camineesa, don’t you think?” She was right, but then again, so was the doctor then. Dressed in a thin, cotton sleepshirt that brushed her kneecaps, the stranger rose from the formidable bed and turned to face him full-on. “Now my question for you, Jamie, is how do you plan on getting me out of here, and thus out of your family and life?”<br/>
He hadn’t really thought about that. In fact he hadn’t expected to be correct in coming this far! So he said so, “I am aware that you are not who they claim you are, and I will remedy that assumption on their part, for you. After that though, I am truly at a loss as what to say in this situation, or what action or steps I might take next in regards to the future, and your place in it, uh, the said future, I meant. Could we maybe sit down there, chat for a bit? We’ll become better acquainted, yes?”<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
Who would’ve thought that her savior would be this brother, Jamison, the youngest yummy of the Partler brood? After weeks and weeks of waiting for some form of Hail Mary miracle to be performed in her favor, here she sat face-to-face with her biological twin’s adoptive brother, the assistant district attorney of Lauder County, Florida. “My name really is Jezzimeen Partler, and yes, while I do look exactly like her, I am not the sister you have grown up with, Camineesa. I was, however, adopted as well; just happened to be brought up entirely different than any of you…Partler kids. Jamison, may I call ya Jamie?” After waiting for his nod to continue, she began to tell him her story. She was careful to retain those details that both she and her twin would most likely rather have remain a kept secret, until further notice. Right now, it wasn’t about being the telepathic empath of the duo, she needed to put Jamison into action so that they could begin to search for Camineesa. What was he going on about? Complications?<br/>
“Is Jezz for short okay with you? I have to figure out how to explain your existence to the staff here, without alerting anyone else in the family to the fact that Camineesa has a biological twin sister, you understand? What complicates things further in that regard, is as I’m sure you are presently unaware, Caminee…Cami has been abducted. Over three weeks ago, actually. We don’t know much, well other than that she was taken from Father’s law firm, consequently following her dismissal.” That and the fact that the recently deceased have kept her company during those last three weeks, Jezz thought drily. She didn’t care about the complications Jamie had just implied; her priority was to find her sister, uh, the twin who was currently being held hostage under a morgue!<br/>
“I understand your situation, Jamie, but please don’t leave me here; tell me that’s not what’s about to happen here! No one has to know I’m Cami’s twin, let’s just say that I have a strikingly strong resemblance to her, and bust my butt on outta here! Whaddya say, bro? Then I’ll go my way, leaving you to go yours, deal? Comfy with that? You have my word, uh, as a total and completely voluntary stranger, that not only will I disappear, never to be seen by any of you again, I’ll clue you in on a secret. Sort of a forecast of trouble to come, more or less. Do we have a deal, bud?”<br/>
After what was probably the longest visitation the BBS had ever allowed, Jamie kept his end of the bargain, signing out Jezzimeen Partler with a solemn affirmation that she was in fact NOT his sister, merely a cosmic twin. As Jezz began to walk away, sensing his uncertainty and turmoil over the Partler family’s future, Jamison grasped her gently by the elbow. “Jezz? I already knew about the organ harvesting, I’m on it, handling it, you know? But is it at all possible that something else might be going on in our…MY house? Something illegal, illicit, whatever, that I, as an assistant district attorney, should know about? What a good question, little fake brother! Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to say. It’s too bad I can’t inhabit your body and follow you home, maybe encourage your subconscious to chat up your mom!<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
Feeling only slightly better after a steamy shower and fresh clothes, Camineesa began to notice a few other changes in her surroundings. She could finally see them, for one. A solitary bulb swung in an invisible and periodical draught, its origins unknown as there were no windows or doors…well, in the walls. The only entry or exit was through the trapdoor overhead, a mere thirty feet above her, at the pinnacle of her highest jump. Someone had brought in a table and chair, so now there was somewhere to sit besides on the ground. Okay, now we’re getting somewhere people! Civilized solitary confinement; it’s better than nothing.<br/>
She wondered how much the daily fare would have improved after noting the obvious attempts to make her stay more comfortable. “Hello again, dear heart. I hope these adjustments are more comfortable? More fitting to civilized standards? I feel I must again apologize for my incompetent employees, after all, this is their first kidnapping. We’re all eagerly experiencing this new turn of circumstance, so I just hope you’ll bear with us, until we gather a modicum of order in all this. Now, I have contacted Mr. Partler and informed him that his secret, or secrets being kept within his family walls, are no longer as such, nor are they safe from exposure. On such a scale as he and your…brother, Lawrence have indulged in their own underhanded venues, I surmise that any sort of leak would prove catastrophic, wouldn’t you agree, Miss. Partler?”<br/>
“Look here ToTo, as I explained, very loudly I might add, your dead wrong about Lawrence. There just no way… What? Okay, I can totally see that “I-know-something-you-don’t-know’ look in your eye, so cough up the phlegm, guy. What am I missing, hmm?” He began to circle her, like the king of beasts toward its prey. He seemed to be taking great pleasure in something; Camineesa could only imagine what ugly or disgusting news he had bottled up in that foreign brain of his!<br/>
“No, dear Camineesa. You and I both know that Lawrence Partler is in fact guilty of harvesting organs from unwilling or unaware donors. But what you most surely don’t know is that he has recently taken to cleaning up after his mistakes. In the physical sense. Are you…(Davi chuckled to himself), excuse me were you ever acquainted with a Mr. Jace Jackson, my dear? You may have noticed that I corrected my grammatical error in that Mr. Jackson is not amongst the living anymore, dove. Your brother murdered him.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
NOOOOOO!!!! Why did he do that?! She wasn’t ready, Jace thought. She just had her first bath in weeks, finally can sit down on another surface other than the dirt floor! Jace had no idea whether or not Camineesa would believe this Davi character, but he knew that, could visually see that she was beyond devastated at the news of his death. Now that she knew, would she be able to see him? Probably not, so the sheet was still his only option to communicate with his lost budding love.<br/>
Throughout the day, Jace watched as the claustrophobic space became more and more livable as the kidnappers continually trooped in and out bearing gifts of bedding and bed; books, pen and paper, and other small items of amenity in an attempt to mollify the prisoner. The Davi guy did not return that day or for ten more following days, until finally… He announced that he had been made aware of an arrest, and while out on bail, Mr. Lawrence Partler had immediately employed an attorney, Jamison, Camineesa’s youngest brother. So now that the cat was…out of the bag? Jace felt surely this Davi character would release Cami, or at least allow her a similar phone call, just to let someone know she was alright, even if she couldn’t relay her exact location. But this was not to be; the kidnappers had very specific demands, and an even more detailed plan of action. Their timeline would not be rushed or adjusted to accommodate the dead or the living.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
They dated for only seventeen months before Vance proposed to her. She had fallen in love with his daughter, Camineesa, and they both hoped to have more children of their own as well. That hope had died three years ago, and as JaiLynn drove herself home from the fertility clinic, she finally accepted that as much as she wished to give her husband a child of his own, it was never going to happen, at least not in this marriage. Lynn was barren; she thought more of the child her older sister, Jayleen had been forced to give up for adoption, and wondered if the original Murphy line would continue in that poor orphan.<br/>
The half of the conversation she could overhear as she walked through the downstairs halls triggered some kind of alarm in her mind, but after the news she had just received she simply did not have the energy to eavesdrop further, or question Vance at all. She resolved instead to figure out how she would break the horrible news to him, that aside from their beloved Camineesa, they would not be expecting any more joyous bundles. As Vance’s voice trailed upstairs after her, she was sure she had misheard him! “The agreement was not a drop-off zone in my home for those newborns that the agency are unable to place! If I could make five bucks for every time they’ve asked me to ‘hold on to this one,’ or that, I’d be a much richer man than I am today. I’m the lawyer, not the nanny! Whatever happened to that foster agent I met when I picked my daughter? They told me he was the one in charge of fostering the undesirables, well, at least until they became desirable or whatever. No, I’m not saying that, Alfred, I’m simply pointing out that baby placement has turned out to be a very busy business, and we’d be fools not to invest in such a venture. 50/50 partners, Dalma and Partler, just think about it. You can’t tell me this isn’t a smart move. Who knows where it’ll take us?!”<br/>
Right to jail, is where. And you hold the purse strings tight enough to strangle a baby with, so there’s absolutely no way I could manage to bail you out once that took place. Lynn started to dress for dinner, and as she passed the nursery, she heard Camineesa cooing in her crib. “Why would we want to bail out Daddy from jail, my pet? You should know now, dear, your father loves his money; the more the merrier to be sure.” She leaned down to kiss her daughter, as usual, unprepared for the snap of energy that sparked at the moment of connection. “Sweetie! We should get that checked out, you’ve been doing that since the first time I held you, pet. You crackle a bit as well… But Mommy loves you, don’t you doubt it, Cami dear! Good night, we’ll see you in the morning.” As she was pulling the nursery door closed, she heard the familiar tinkle of a baby laughing.</p><p>	Waking from night sweats yet again, Jayleen Murphy woke with a scream as if the nightmare was able to chase her out of dreamland, and into this reality that was her life. Every night, since she had first laid eyes on the Jezzimeen girl, she had suffered the same reoccurring dream: she was strapped down to an iron bed and being held there (wherever “there” was), against her will! The sad fact, she reminded herself upon waking each morning, was that the nightmare was not really a dream, but a horrifying memory. The only thing missing from the dream in contrast to the reality of the past were seals binding her eyes shut.<br/>
She had delivered a baby and had endeavored to wait out the remaining three weeks until she turned eighteen, in the maternity suite she had been transferred to after awakening from her caesarean section. It had been the only hope she had at the time of being permitted to keep her baby, and raise it on her own. Her parents had actually forbidden her to even try! And despite the emotional falling-out she had had with her twin sister, Jayleen had been hurt when her sister failed to visit after her baby had been born. There are just some things you don’t miss, Lynn, regardless of how much we disagreed. Lynn had essentially sided with their parents in that Jayleen had a life to lead, and that a baby would only put her dreams and goals inevitably on hold. As if that sisterly betrayal hadn’t been enough, Lynn had decided not to come see her twin, as she lay recovering in the maternity ward.<br/>
Her plan to wait out her parents decision to force her hand in giving her baby up for adoption was thwarted on the eve of the beginning of the third week. She had been counting down the days until she would have the legal right to claim her baby as an adult, and to hell with what anybody had to say! She had received a call that afternoon, from her parents. Jayleen wondered how long it had taken for her mother to convince her father to team-up with her in the efforts to sway Jayleen’s mind about her potential future. She knew her dad had not called or joined the crusade willingly, he had always been her champion, and then of course there was the additional fact that her parents had finalized their divorce before she delivered. So his silence on the phone during their attack spoke volumes as to his spine density and diverse resolve.<br/>
“Honey, the time has come to return home, either to your father’s place or ours, with your sister and I. Your father agrees with me in this, and you should know that after today, we will not foot the hospital bed to keep you there. As soon as your discharge papers are ready, we will be by to collect you and your things, so that you may rest in a familiar bed under a loving roof. The discussion has been over since you delivered, Jayleen, about any other notions you might still have about keeping the child you’ve birthed. It’s simply not practical, honey! Your father and I would like to see you go to college, settle on a career and prosper. That’s all we want for you, honey. So now… what can we do to help you tomorrow, Jayleen?<br/>
Certainly not kidnap me and have me committed to the nut house for six days, simply so that you can carry my child away without any complications on its mother’s part. Since that phone call, she had not spoken to either of her parents again. Not when she graduated from the police academy, nor when she received any of her promotions. She had been lied to and misused by her own parents, and forced to give over the only baby she had, just to please them. So now I will protect those babies, all those children too, who cannot defend or fight for themselves. And in so doing, if a man like Vance Partler is brought down a peg or two in the process, I’m perfectly fine with that as well.<br/>
The only problem with this plan was her missing informant and telepathic protégé. Captain Murphy had monitored the runaway from the moment she managed to get herself expelled from the last in a string of many high schools. All of the local alternative schools had refused her entry, so in order to stay out of juvenile detention, Jezzimeen had settled on a JobCorp commitment. This too was an unsuccessful venture. Jayleen chuckled as she remembered how fast the girl had scaled the chain link fence outside the YMCA; the girl moved like lightning! There one moment and gone in a blink of an eye. This was also how she had tracked the single female of the lift team that had made off with an entire estate’s worth of property. Only one girl can run that fast, Jayleen remembered thinking as she watched the footage on the CCTVs in the private security of the four-person team that had managed to not only slip in on by these same security guards, but also escaped capture, due to the reconnaissance done beforehand, by none other than an infiltrating look-alike.<br/>
Jezzimeen had no intention of sticking around after she took her slice of pie from this job, and thus was understandably annoyed when Captain Murphy had detained her as she boarded the bus leaving Lauder County. I bet she wished she had never met me, Murphy thought wrily. Especially once she realized who I was, what I could do and teach her to do, as well as how I planned to keep her on the inside of the Partler clan to further the investigation. At least she knows what she is, and how to proceed with her abilities. At one point, Jayleen had thought of her own telepathic powers as a lifelong curse, until recently, when she began to hear voices of dead loved ones. Like her dad; she hadn’t cried in years, but when she realized that her daddy was inside her head, and encouraging her to find answers, she wept harder than she could ever remember weeping before.<br/>
____________________________________<br/>
Davi picked up on the third ring, “’Allo? This is Davi Christ…Chun. What? Who is this? How did you get this number? Jayleen? Jayleen Murphy? How do you know that name? If it seems that I am asking a lot of questions, it would only be because you have failed to answer even one of them. My relationship with Jayleen Murphy ended many years ago, and we have not kept in touch, so I don’t see as how you could have anything of importance to impart to me in that measure. So what? She chose a different path from myself, one in which I had not been included or even consulted, so as I said… What did you just say? That’s… Impossible! What did you say your name was again? Hello…?”<br/>
Slamming the offending handset down so hard the base clattered to the floor, Davi stared down at the floor, thinking of the most impossible things. Anything that would explain the conversation he had just had, because the declarations of the man on the phone just simply could not be true. A woman he had loved wholeheartedly, who he had believed until just now had abandoned him for someone better, had in fact been held hostage after delivering twin baby girls. Her parents had apparently forced her to give up her children, and when she had refused, they had her committed to a sanitarium! Well, this certainly alters matters, Davi thought quietly. I believe I know just the man to speak to for verification of this upsetting revision of history. Picking up both handset and base, Davi dialed his future nest egg once again.<br/>
“Mr. Partler, it is I again. No, my name is still completely irrelevant, perhaps a little less so now that we have a mutual concern to discuss, but we shall return to that momentarily. Mr. Partler, is it true that you have successfully adopted three children? That you in fact have placed these and many others like them in situations similar as to that in your home? I ask you this to drive home the fact that not only am I aware of your unreported income, but the nature of venue in which you have prospered. I am afraid, however, that the value for your beloved daughter’s return has not only increased, but it very well may have been rendered null and void. If my suspicions are correct, she is exactly where she should be, Mr. Partler.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“Wait, what? What’re you saying? Jamison, I think you’re terribly confused. Are you on something?!” Carrie couldn’t make sense of what was being said. She sat across from the youngest Partler, listening to the ridiculous notion that not only was Camineesa not who she had always claimed to be, but that she had somehow wound up in a nefarious, covert investigation that had resulted in her being captured and held hostage. “So you’re telling me that Camineesa, your sister, has been missing for five weeks and no one has thought to call the police, or alert the media to plea for her release?! And who the hell is that?”<br/>
Turning to the apparent stranger dressed as her best friend, narrowing her eyes accusingly, she started interrogating the intruder. “Me? Yea, cool, I’m Jezzimeen, nice to meet ya, and I guess I’m her, Camineesa’s twin. I didn’t know about any of this until a few weeks ago, but its not what you think. I never pretended to be her…” Shrinking away from Jamison’s disproving glare, Camineesa’s twin continued. “Well, I didn’t go to her work, or sleep with your brother, I mean we kissed but that’s it, swear.” At the mention of her baby brother, Carrie winced and looked away to hide her pain and the tears that threatened to spill over. Wait a hot minute! Did she say she didn’t sleep with my brother?!<br/>
“Go back a speck, uh.. What the flying fuufuu did you just say?” Whipping around to pin Jamison down with her most lethal death stare, she lifted her eyebrows inquiringly. “Jamie, would you care to enlighten me as to what in Hades this chick is talking about?! I hope, for Cami’s sake that you aren’t about to reveal to me that my baby brother has been, or was…hooking up with MY BEST FRIEND. Suffice to say that he won’t be the only dead person in that equation.”<br/>
At the stranger’s sobbing squeak, she turned back to see tears rolling down the girl’s cheeks. “Wait, Jace is gone? He’s dead? Or like sleeping eternally…bu.. braindead? That can’t be true, I would’ve felt it.” The girls looked back and forth between Jamie and herself, waiting for one of them to clarify, to tell her that they had just been joking and Jace was just fine. This chick really cared about Jace! Holy smokes! What else has happened while I was gone?<br/>
____________________________________________<br/>
Even with her record-breaking run times, Jezz still felt as if she was moving at the speed of…smell. She couldn’t get out of that house of horrors fast enough! She had just about had enough of all this pain, stress and drama! Ooooh, when I get my hands on Murphy, she is in for a WORLD of hurt! “Your sister needs you, Jezzimeen. As well as your mother. Something has happened, sweetheart, and now that you have accepted your inner empath, only you can protect them from those who are intent on hurting them. More than they already hurt now.”<br/>
Who the….”Who’s there? You come out and speak to me, face-to-face. You have no right to be squatting up in my head, I don’t know you!” Effin awesome, she was talking to herself. There was nobody around at least, but it was still pretty embarrassing regardless. “Alright, we’ll do this your way. Who, what and/or how? GO!”<br/>
“I know who you are, sweetie, but you and I have never met. Not formally anyway, or in any way you might recall, actually. But before I explain, what else are you besides telepathic? And which twin might you be?”<br/>
“My name is Jezzimeen, I’m pretty sure I’m the…older one? Anypoo, um…shit, right, um…I’m an empath, and… which means you’re either a long-lost relative, or just a totally random and crazy stranger who has latched onto my telepathic wavelength. Whichever you are, you are most certainly dead, and have been that way for some time now. One more thing: dude, I don’t have a mom. No, I mean… I don’t know who she is, alright, so can’t help you there. You obviously have the wrong girl, or maybe just the wrong twin.”<br/>
Doing his best to enjoy his first “day off” in years, Lawrence Partler had attempted to drink himself to sleep last night, hoping for the luxury of sleeping in (any time past 8am), and lounging around his father’s estate until another random mood stuck him. It was just past 5:30 in the morning, and instead of sleeping he was running. Not away, just to slough off this extraneous energy I’ve been building up since my last run…four hours ago. Nothing he had done had afforded him the peace and tranquil mind frame he sought. This, his first of fifteen, was turning out to be a lot harder than he had expected. Ever since he had returned from his recent incarceration (which was no longer private or contained and protected by family bonds), all of his colleagues had made a point of avoiding him for consultation, assistance, or even mentoring and observation! He knew word flew like wildfire at a water cooler, but Glamour Heights was as far from the size of a “small town” as a bee was from being a hummingbird!<br/>
To further play on the BUZZ of it all, his father had erroneously become somehow involved in his affairs, in regards to the black market angle of it all. To be specific, Vance Partler had received an anonymous call informing him of his son’s doings, and but there had yet to be any sort of blackmail demand. What concerned Lawrence more than his father’s involvement in his affairs, was the anonymity of the caller. There was but a short list of persons who held any kind of incriminating knowledge in their possession, and when he had been selecting his harvest team, he had insured that each of the members had a murky past of their own, prior to employment with him. It meant only one of two things: either a member of the team had been flipped, or otherwise offered a deal including a clean slate upon his arrest; or someone no longer feared the consequences or effects of the shared venture.<br/>
It was obviously imperative to not only find out which member had found themselves in such a state of mind, but to definitively eradicate the threat of exposure. He would best use this time while running to narrow down the possibilities. But then what? Where to go from there? The same people he would need to dispatch on this mission would be culled from the very pool in which their team member would be selected. And while he had almost complete faith in his younger sibling’s abilities as an attorney, he simply could not leave anything to chance. Incarceration, or Heaven Forbid!, a death sentence was simply not an avenue Lawrence Partler was prepared to accept. A man like this is very dangerous in deed; family ties simply disappeared entirely when an alpha lion was backed into a proverbial corner of his established jungle.<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
Jezz had two problems; scratch that, many problems, but not enough solutions or resources to implement those she did have. First, Mr. Gorgeous was dead. And someone had and would pay for that. Secondly, her sister (and her mother?) were in some bad and deep shit, and she had no fucking clue where either were presently located! The rest could just as easily be worked out when these pressing points had been permanently resolved.<br/>
Her resources, such as they were, were sketchy and not entirely stable. She knew she could talk (in multiple ways) to Captain Jayleen Murphy, and Mrs. Linn Partler, but first she had to consider the ramifications of her recent circumstances. If either were ever to discover that she had spent the better part of the last three or four weeks locked up inside an insane asylum, apologies, a sanitarium, what might they think of her newest uncovered abilities? As a empathic telepath, Cpt. Murphy was her sole guide and mentor, but Mrs. Partler was aware that not only was Jezzimeen not who she had claimed to be for the last two months, but that she was in fact her own adopted daughter’s identical twin, and the two of them possessed a similar ability to communicate with others like them, with only their minds. What to do…Bite the proverbial bullet, chick! Someone has to know, and if you ever want to see Camineesa again, you’re the ticket to that destination. Slowly turning back in the direction of the Partler’s house, she began her speech with Linn Partler. Just then, something clicked soundly in her mind. It had been there, in the uncaring recesses of her mind, all this time, but now that she had categorized her options, visualizing her plan of attack made her astutely aware of an obvious and dumbfounding observation: the captain and Mrs. Partler looked as identical as she did with her twin! Reeling from this conclusion, her mind raced towards the other details that could possibly fall into place to define the biggest picture of her life.<br/>
The next thing she knew, she was off and running, physically and literally. Breathing only a little harder than her norm, she pounded on the Partler’s front door. Thinking nothing of it, when Lawrence Partler answered the door in running suit and sneaks, she simply glided past him and continued upstairs to what she fervently hoped her twin sister’s room would be located. She had never taken her ruse this far, had never, in fact, dared to venture upstairs at all! But there was no helping that right now; she needed answers, and as her twin, Camineesa’s room was the only logical place to start her expedition. She had apparently lost all track of time when, just as she was squinting to read some papers she had found in Camineesa’s desk, the overhead light switched on, and Linn Partler spoke to her, for her mind alone.<br/>
“Jezzimeen, where is she? Where is my daughter? You have to know something more than I, you being her biological twin; is there anything you’ve uncovered that could bring her home to me?”<br/>
“I’m fairly certain, Mrs. Partler, that Camineesa is being held hostage, um…under a morgue or sorts? I say this because…” Turning towards her twin’s fearful mother, she debated how best to go about revealing the latest turn of events. Hearing a strange man’s voice from the dead telling her that not only was her twin in trouble, that the safety of her birth mother, as well was in danger, well it’s not really something she’d ever anticipated telling a virtual stranger. In the end, Jezz decided a twin would understand, and laid her hand on the telepathic table. “Right, so… could I please call you Lynn? Here, I mean? Just between you and me?” Noting the woman’s nod, she plunged on, “So, I hear dead people…But like, the really dead, you know? The ones who’ve been dead a long time. I’m not crazy okay, and I can assure you that Camineesa, while seriously pissed off about it, is also recently aware of…the dead. Except that, she hears those who have dies recently, and/or violently. Being under a morgue, she’s a little busy at the moment, you understand.”<br/>
Lynn was staring at her like she had just grown two more heads. Jezz figured it was as good a time as any to broach the question she had so recently stumbled upon. “Hey so like, this twin thing, or the telepathy thing. Is it just a twin thing, genetic, hereditary, what? Do you know? I ask, Mrs. C, because uh…I’m pretty sure I’ve met your twin. You do have one, right? Not in the astral sense, in the physical sense.” Now, a look of guilt, shame and shock flashed across the woman’s face. Had she hit a nerve? My bad, I’m still trying to figure this all out. I’m not out trying to get anyone, or hurt anyone, so I’m sorry, but not my fault!<br/>
“It’s not your fault, and you have an understandable curiosity about all of this, but it just came as a bit of a shock, is all. Not many people are aware that I am a twin, and plus, my twin and I…we are very much estranged. Quite like yourself and Camineesa. So in that, Jezzimeen, I feel your pain. Just know that you and I, our circumstances are not the same; you can still have your twin back. Whereas, my twin and I have been divided for some time, and in all that time, we have never reached out to one another. I’m not even sure she’s alive, or if she is, where she could be!” Telepathic shutdown. Having evolved her telepathic ability to communicate, Jezz abruptly turned away at this, and continued in her search for answers, hoping all the while that Camineesa might have some information in her possession that might set Jezz on the right path towards finding her.<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
“There’s something you need to know, princess. I should have told you, somehow or in some other way, a long time ago. But I couldn’t, no, I refused to. I was ashamed and once it was done, there was no going back to change or fix things. You had every right to know, especially once you came of age, Jayleen, and in this and for every day since, I failed you.” Screeching to stop, Captain Murphy pulled her car over to the shoulder of the road so that she could contemplate what had just been said. Lately, so many things had reminded her of the past, and the pain that emanated from it still cut deeply every day. Her parents had ferociously opposed her being a teen mother at (almost) eighteen, and had literally done everything they could to force her to give up her baby. The one she had never, held, smelled, named! And here, beyond the forgiving time to reveal any righteous secrets, her daddy had returned, but this time to impart what she could only assume to be more painful, life-altering news.<br/>
“Go on, daddy, I’m listening. What don’t I know, that I should have known all this time?”<br/>
“When you had your baby…well, uh…honey? Sweetheart… babygirl…” The silence in her mind stretched on for seemed an eternity. What could be so hard after all these years, that prevented her father from just coming right out and stating the facts? “It was a girl, Jayleen…Two. Twins, twin girls.” Throwing open her car door, Jayleen just barely managed to stick her head between her legs before the bile overflowed from her mouth, splashing all over the ground. Through blurry vision, she screamed at the asphalt, louder and louder. But no one was there, and the past….was gone, forever.<br/>
In Captain Jayleen Murphy’s mind, there was only one course of action available to her. Now that she had all of the sordid pieces of the truth, there was also only one man on which to take out her vengeance. Dialing Jezzimeen’s pager number on pure instinct, she shrieked briefly before reaching for her vibrating cell phone. “Hello? Jezzimeen? Is that really you? Honey, where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you! I need to see you, Jezzimeen, now, today. IMMEDIATELY!”<br/>
Fifteen minutes and three and a half cups of cappuccino later, she breathed a sigh of relief as she heard her passenger door unlatch and saw from the corner of her eye, Jezzimeen sliding in beside her. Both began to speak at once, “There’s something I have to tell you…” Looking into her young protégé’s eyes, she saw a familiar flash of pain and confusion behind the usual defiance and aloofness. “First, Jezz, let me say how very sorry I am about Jace Jackson. I never intended for him to be hurt, or even get involved in any way! But, taking that on myself, the blame I mean, we still have some dirty work ahead of us. Things are deeper and more convoluted than I ever could have imagined. But I need your cooperation, so if you want out, say so because it’s now or never. Are you still up for all this?”<br/>
“There’s some things I need to tell you, Jezz, and it’s not going to be easy, but in this we will always be together. I promise you that, okay? Never, you hear me? Never doubt my loyalty or support; there is absolutely nothing you could do or say, that would ever make me think less of you, or care for you less. Now, this next is going to seem as if I’ve been holding back from you, but that was merely my selfish need to protect myself from getting too close to you. Despite my best efforts in that regard, you have gotten close, and yet there’s nowhere else I want you to be. I hope you understand, and once I tell you everything, that you might be able to forgive me withholding myself and my past from you.”<br/>
“Wait, Captain Murphy, there’s a lot I don’t understand, but even more important things that I HAVE to tell you, before I burst! Please, don’t be angry, I never meant for things to get so out of hand! I promise, and when this is all over and done, I will walk out of your life, and you will never have to deal with me ever again, alright? I’m pretty sure you’re going to either get mad, or think I’M mad, crazy or whatever, but this is the first time I’ve felt any obligation to share the truth, however painful it might be, to anyone.” Silently, she began, “I have been locked up in the Birthsome Bridler Sanitarium for the last four weeks or so, and during my involuntary stay there, I uncovered some troubling…things. Well, I know where Camineesa Partler is, sort of. I mean, I know she’s under a morgue. Right and then, um…I’ve been hearing some new voices..? New is a relative term, yeah, cuz they’re dead people? Like, LONG dead…people. I really am not crazy, and obviously you’re the only I’ve told or plan on telling, just cuz you know, we’re…yeah, you mad?”<br/>
“Absolutely not, but that puts a different light on things, well, just listen to what I have to say, then we can decide what we want to do about all of this, k?” Taking a deep breathe externally and mentally, she settled in for the drop. “I am a twin, or rather, I have a twin. Her name is JaiLynn, and I…we haven’t spoken in a very long time. I used to blame her for that, until quite recently (today to be exact), when I was informed of some unknown background facts that had previously been withheld from me. The reason I started investigating the fraudulent adoption scheme that Mr. Partler has been operating, was because, when I was a little younger than you, I delivered a baby… Who I never got to see. My parents were completely against me raising the baby by myself or on my own, so shortly before I turned eighteen, they had me drugged and committed. Yes, so…like I said, I didn’t know this next bit until this morning. Just before I called you, um…I heard a voice, of a long-dead relation. They informed me that not only had I had a little girl, but I had actually delivered twins.”<br/>
Both telepaths sat staring at the front windshield, noticing that the rain that had started out as a light spitting, had evolved into a formidable deluge of precipitation that savagely beat at the sides of the captain’s car. “Do you think Mr. Partler had something to do with your babies’ adoption or whatever? It makes sense, right? You said he’s been in the business of “placement” for some time now. I’m sorry, can I just ask… Does the father know? You know, that you guys had twin baby girls? I bet he’s pissed…” Jezzimeen trailed off as she watched tears start to fall from Murphy’s face. What kind of parents does that to their kid?! Trying to lighten the mood, “hey, you and me got something else in common now, Murphy! We’ve both been committed! Okay, sorry, just trying to make you feel better.” Smiling at her mentor, she tentatively reached out her hand to the policewoman.<br/>
Grabbing at the offered life preserver, Captain Murphy forced out a small laugh, “And lucky us, both hearing old-old dead people! Ain’t life grand? Hey, time for tears later, when we nail this fucker. Yes, that is exactly what I think, Jezz. The whole thing is too horrible to think there might be more than one instigator in all this, you know? I don’t have proof, of course, but that’s why I needed you inside the family. With Camineesa missing now, though, we can’t very well have you digging through the PJ&amp;A archives looking for old birth certificates and such. Any thoughts as to our first step? I know I’m the cop in this, but you’re really flippin’ smart, little lady. Let’s do this your way for a while.”<br/>
__________________________________________<br/>
A powerful blast of formaldehyde invaded Camineesa’s nostrils, spinning her into a dizzying state of awareness. That smell, she thought groggily, there’s only two places that it might come from. Dead people and/or the morgue. Wild guess here, but they got me under a friggin’ morgue! They being the morons who, since permitting her to bathe after two weeks of filth had built up in her hair, had gradually loosened the invisible binds on her, allowing her to walk freely around her prison, or coffin! She had been upgraded to edible rations, given books on a number of aggravatingly boring topics, and had little to no company aside from the voices of her recently deceased acquaintances. At least now I know sort of where they came from, ew!<br/>
She had grown accustomed to the confused clamor of the deceased; they had reassembled into a more appealing form of order, and now only spoke to her in intervals. They were not aware of each other, unless by chance they had died on the same day in the hospital a few more floors above her. Some had yet to accept their current state, and continuously asked her to release them so that they could return to their former lives. Like I’m Harry Houdini, or some other sorcerer! She had resolved to send them again and again to the back of the telepathic line, and instead addressed those who had specific bones to pick with the living. Having been regularly supplied with paper and pen, she began to annotate the grievances, along with names, dates and other relevant details. To date, however long she had been there now, she had a total of seven different cases of offense, and it seemed an eighth, if you were counting the floating, lavender-scented sheet that always bobbed along beside the line of the dead.<br/>
A certain Mrs. Gowan had introduced her to the sheet…spirit. All Camineesa knew for certain was that the spirit was of a young man who had died unexpectedly, and shortly after midnight on the day that Mrs. Gowan had been disemboweled. Yep, that’s hella gross, people, but whatever. Apparently no one is asking for my participation, they’re simply facilitating it, and I didn’t even have to buy a ticket for this fun, fun ride! Furthermore, Mrs. G (she is dead, Camineesa reasoned, so should she really have a problem with a nickname at this point?) was under the impression that the young man had been there to protect her [Mrs. G], but had not really failed in so much as he had been sacrificed and summarily placed in the same paddle-less boat headed up Shit’s Creek. Telepathically, there wasn’t much Camineesa could do for the poor kid, because to make matters even more impossibly  complicated than they already were, the kid had been rendered eternally mute! Plus he had no teeth? What in Hades are they doing to those poor people up there? Camineesa wondered daily.<br/>
One day, just as she was finishing up her latest group of consultations, the familiar pounding of feet registered overhead, and Camineesa held her breath, in hopes of avoiding the now stomach-turning odor that seemed to seep through the cracks and crevices around the ceiling’s trapdoor. “Good news, my dear! You will be staying with me, indefinitely, okay? However, I am afraid we must remove to another location, so that you can be afforded more suitable amenities to which you were most likely previously accustomed.” What is this crazy bat talking about? The move, okay, I’m so down, but not to stay with you permanently! She couldn’t remember the last time she had been asked her opinion or preference in all of this, probably because it had yet to occur to her captors that she might have any.<br/>
Tuning out the rest of the hogwash spouting from the crazy man’s mouth, she again catalogued all of the information she had thus far attained since she was placed here. She was now a personal go-between for the dead, could have been raised by a black marketer who specializes in baby-snatching, and apparently her adoptive older brother Lawrence was also performing some sickeningly nefarious deeds with unwilling corpses. A flashbulb popped inside her head, was that where she was? Gross! The morgue at Gramercy Pristine Hospital in Lauder County?! Well, that answered one of her questions, now she’d exceedingly like to know why. If it was a blackmail scheme, why was Mr. Crazy-Pants saying she was to be a permanent prisoner of his very own? Leaving her notes under her relatively clean pillow, she stepped hesitantly closer to her captor. “Excuse me? yes, hi, um…what do you want? Like, with me? I don’t know you, I’m pretty sure, anyway, and I am just as disgusted as you are with the Partler activities going on up above us. But may I point out a SMALL fact? I didn’t do anything, and I…why do you want me? I would think a more powerful means of negotiation would stem from capturing one of those Partler men we were just talking about the other day.”<br/>
My dear girl, you are so unaware! I would be glad to deliver you of your ignorance, but there are some things I must ascertain first. You just…sit tight here, and when the time comes, I personally assure you, all will be revealed. All in good time, my dear, all in good, good time. One thing more, before I go, love. Have you, uh… have you ever wondered about your parents? Your biological ones, of course. Ever yearned to meet them, or anything as such? As adoptions go, yours seems to have been firmly under the radar, so it will most likely be surprises all around, surely. Just something to ponder until we speak again, my dear Camineesa. It’s a beautiful name, I might add. How do you like Jezzimeen? Similar in its uniqueness, no?”<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
His daughter was missing, his son was embarking on a growing heap of legal troubles, and his firm was preparing for its own Judgment Day. What had been his brainchild at the tender but ambitious age of 25, had grown into what Vance Partler could only describe as a monstrously successful, lucrative and enduring franchise, merely helping the unfortunate poor souls who were bereft of the ability to procreate. But it had recently been put under severe scrutiny, due entirely to his selfish desire to parade his accomplishments (otherwise known as children) around for the world to admire and inevitably envy. Camineesa, the very same daughter who was now being held hostage for the same reasons he was being blackmailed. Somehow, someone had discovered her origins; this person not only knew she was adopted under fraudulent pretenses, but seemed very intimate with the details of his daughter’s birth.<br/>
The circumstances from which he had…attained his beautiful daughter had not always sat well with him, but eventually he had managed to somehow distance himself from the causation and truth of the whole thing. He was fairly certain that he was the only one aware of the decision to separate the twin girls upon their birth, and once he had selected his child from the double bassinet, he had strove greatly to put her abandoned twin as far from his mind as he could. The parents of the young mother were determined to give their grandchildren up for anonymous and closed adoption. So determined in fact, that they did not inform their daughter that she had delivered not one child but two twin girls! To poison the trap further, after she had been delivered of these two girls, she was heavily medicated, and trucked away to be committed until the process was complete, in quite a rush due to their daughter’s impending coming-of-age.<br/>
“Where have you been staying, Jezz? I mean, before and after your sanitarium stay. It’s a foolish and obtuse oversight on my behalf, but I’ve just had so much going on what with the case; your brother, uh, Lawrence Partler; and then of course…with Jace Jackson. That’s another thing, you seem to be taking that bit of news extremely hard. Did you want to tell me about that? Why was that news so particularly hard for you to hear, Jezzimeen? You’re starting to genuinely feel for these people, aren’t you sweetie? For Jace especially. I will remedy your pain, Jezz, darling, I promise. I am doing everything I can to nail that Lawrence asshole’s hide to the courthouse doors, and you…I just need you to hang in there a little longer, love. We’re going to get them for what they’ve done, I can promise you all of that, and more.”<br/>
“Have you ever once stopped to wonder what Camineesa is going through right about now, Murphy? I mean, she’s not exactly been brought up like me, so heck, she’s probably terrified, and…why are you looking at me like that, Murph? Yeah, ok, I give a fuck! If she’s my sister, shit, I might as well, right? Even if she never finds out, I can still be worried about her. But Murphy, I gotta say, that bitch is one tough cookie. It’s like she uses her fear to fuel her anger, and now, whenever she’s under pressure, she goes into extreme organizational control mode.” Sitting there silently for a few minutes more, she flung her newest secret at the captain, “I can feel your pain, Murph. I know what Cami’s feeling, too. And then Mrs. Partler? Did you know she was a twin too?! She’s hurting almost as bad as you, I swear. I’m an empath, Murphy… I second the notion: ain’t life grand?”<br/>
“A telepathic empath who hears the long dead, I’m not sure you could be any more fucked up, kid! It’s time to put ourselves in action and to good use, Jezz. This is what we need to do. I’m going to wrangle some tapping warrants out of justice friend of mine, so that whenever the person or persons holding Camineesa next contact her father, Mr. Partler, we’ll be able to better ascertain where the call is originating. Then when we can locate that specific location, we can move onto the extraction part of this investigation. Now there are three, well two and one pending attorneys in the Partler clan, so finalizing the charges and placing anyone under arrest will be completely on and up to me and my op team, so you don’t have anything to worry about there. I know how you started in all of this, but if things turn for the better, as I’m hoping, you’ll end up on the right side of the law in this, and I’ll see to it that you stay there.”<br/>
It all sounded good, but Jezz was a criminal in all this, that was the cold hard truth. An imposter, a thief and worst of all a lying interloper. But if she refused herself any self-pity it was because, her twin needed her help, and something continued to grow in her that made that the most important fact in the bag. ”Morgues, that’s your first stop, I’m sure of it. And I’m coming with you, otherwise…well, I can sense her, you can’t, right? I’ll know the moment we’re near her, and then I’ll fall back, I promise, let y’all do you thing. As long as she, Cami, I mean, comes out of this in relatively one piece. With her notes, please. Those could come in handy in the future, just saying. She’s really organized, and very much a people person.”<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
Jamison had a bit of a problem. Not only had he been tasked with defending his brother against charges of organ harvesting, and if he understood correctly on pending charges of 1st degree murder. Lawrence had not only been suspended indefinitely form his esteemed position as head surgeon at Gramercy Pristine, but he was also under obtrusive investigation as to the history of Kavorkian practices he had been implementing during his complete tenure at the hospital. This was an egregious abuse of power to be sure, and Jamison couldn’t seem to get his outrageously arrogant older brother to see the error of his ways, or the injustice he was intent on defending as life-saving allocation of acquisitioned possessions of his suspiciously terminated patients. There was even more speculation as to the route and/or method in which Lawrence had acquired the organs of his deceased patients. To be certain, all of the unwilling donors had indeed been dead when the backroom harvests had been performed, but the means to which they had each reached their own demise was veritably unclear or above board.<br/>
Conflict of interest didn’t even register as a factor of complication to Lawrence, as they had all been brought up to expect nothing less than the best in anything they wanted or wished. His brother expected to be thoroughly exonerated of all of these “ridiculous charges” and summarily reinstated at the hospital where he additionally expected a grand reception and definitive apology. Nothing is too much for Lawrence, but I’m afraid he is in for quite the rude awakening.<br/>
Putting a slightly heavier pall on his future as an attorney, something foul and sour fervently bit at his subconscious that something altogether more sinister was being conducted in the darkest halls of the Partler empire. He had no idea who all might be involved, but chances were good that his adoptive father was at the helm of the biggest calamity of all. As to the extent of who he had involved in his unknown but most assuredly illicit scheme, this quantity was unknown, and furthermore, no one was coming forth to relieve themselves of the guilt it may be causing. It is very plausible to assume, no one in this family would feel such guilt, as we are all so above judgment and slander, that those who would commit libel against a Partler would surely remain hidden in fear of retaliation and unending retribution!<br/>
“Ding, dong all! Jams, sweetie? I see your car out there in the driveway, so I only assume that you drove it here…? It’s Carrie; I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” A shimmer of relief and something more flowed over Jamison’s thoughts and he abruptly stood up from his father’s office desk and exited the study. Following the sounds of his missing sister’s closest friend, who was settling in the living room had popped in the requisite movie and was seemingly searching through a voluminous couture bag for snacks. “I’m sure I brought your favorite flavor of candy straws and there’s sure to be a bag of butter lover’s popcorn in here as well, if you’ll but give me another moment. I seem to have lost all sense inside my Mary Poppins bag here…”<br/>
Smiling at his growing heart throb, he unceremoniously grabbed a bottom corner of the engulfing bag and proceeded to dump out its contents onto the coffee table. “I’d like to see those snacks hide from us now!”<br/>
___________________________________________<br/>
“I want you to go and begin tracking the Partlers, Fox. I’m almost certain now that the Jezzimeen girl and the Camineesa girl we have downstairs, are not the same person. Furthermore, they’re actually identical twins, and more valuable to me today than ever before. I want them both, Fox. I want them both in front of me, so that I can determine what to do next. If my suspicions are correct, a long-in-coming reunion is in order. A love of the past, and an explanation to accompany her, is due any day now. For theses girls’ sake, I sincerely hope that I am incorrect. Because Fox, if I am correct, many heads will roll, and even more lives will end.”<br/>
“Sure thing, Boss. What exactly am I looking for? It sounds really serious, and the last thing I wanna do is mess this up for ya.”<br/>
“Yes, Fox, it is of the utmost importance to me. Birth dates, biological parentage, places of birth, etc. I care nothing for the males of the clan, simply focus on the twin girls, Fox. They are my prey, and perhaps more should my predictions prove sound. When you have that information, return at once, so that I may dispatch you onto further action. I’m sorry, I misspoke; I do have plans for certain males in that family, but return to me nonetheless, and we will address that then.”</p>
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